Jealous Boys
by Hairstreaked
Summary: Takeru, Hikari, Daisuke, Taichi, Sora, and Yamato all wander through this tale of sabbotage on the fronts of love. Kudos to Irving Berlin and Savage Garden for the songs, and the Wachowski Bros for a quote. Taichi is not very nice, so be warned.
1. Prologue

It might only be caused by his sexual frustration, after all, he was almost 15 and he had never had a girlfriend in his life. But maybe it was true love, he had known her for a long time, and a few years back, he decided that he felt much more towards her, maybe even love. But now, he was absolutely sure that it was true love: he had never felt this way for any other girl, and he knew that he could only love her.

True love has a way of turning into lust, and that's what he was also feeling now. They hadn't even hooked up, and he was already thinking about her being naked. Like it was his fault, she had a shapely body, which was very appealing to him; full chest, sexy legs, and a way of walking that made him gaze at her until she was out of sight. But it wasn't just her chest or her legs or her butt. Her eyes as well, always catching his own...they were beautiful, deep, intriguing orbs of hazel-shaded spirals...and her lips...soft, moist, and pouted when she saw him. Physical beauty is one thing, personality is another. She was nice, and friendly, and funny, and affectionate, and athletic, and understanding, and sassy, and sweet, and her name proclaimed it all...Hikari. Whenever he heard her name it sounded like a song...or the name a lovely angel, as she seemed to be. Always so kind and smiling sweetly at him...making him blush. So, maybe it was possible that Hikari would take him. After all, maybe she felt the same way. Maybe she loved him too. But he was too shy to ask her, afraid that she might turn him down.

He had seen that other boy, Daisuke, warming to Hikari. Daisuke was his friend, but he couldn't stand it when he would flirt with Hikari. Hikari responded kindly to Daisuke whenever he made a subtle move, so howcome he couldn't do the same thing? He just didn't have the guts...Hikari was very sweet, if he did ask her, and she turned him down, she would reject him kindly, instead of yelling at him and crushing his heart within her fist. But even if she did reject him nicely, it would feel exactly the same as if she rejected him harshly. He just couldn't bring himself to ask her. He figured that just enduring the pain of love and lust for her would be easier than flat out telling her. But it wasn't. It was just as torturous. Just the sound of her name lifted his heart, her sweet laughing resounding like an angel's sigh, her soft penetrating gaze killing him. And if he didn't act soon, Daisuke would get to her first, and he would rather die than see her flirting with another boy.

These thoughts constantly plagued his mind, pushing him into further depression as they took his hope away, preventing him from telling her.

And at this time he was having these thoughts, each time he felt his love for her burning in his heart, it felt as if someone was stabbing his heart with a scorching-hot knife. A blistering pain it was, and the only way to cure it would be to just tell her those three simple words which he dreaded would cause her to reject him.

The telephone suddenly rang.

"I'll get it, dad!" the blond-haired boy's voice yelled through the apartment as his hand dove for the ringing phone. "Hello?" he cautiously brought the receiver to his ear, anticipating the sound of an angel sighing.

"Hi, Takeru!" the caller cheerfully exclaimed.

Only one word could escape from the tortured boy's lips. "Hikari..."


	2. Invitation

The telephone suddenly rang.

"I'll get it, dad!" the blond-haired boy's voice yelled through the apartment as his hand dove for the ringing phone. "Hello?" he cautiously brought the receiver to his ear, anticipating the sound of an angel sighing.

"Hi, Takeru!" the caller cheerfully exclaimed.

Only one word could escape from the tortured boy's lips. "Hikari..."

"Yes, it's me!" the caller's sweet voice confirmed. "So what's happening?"

"Not much," Takeru droned as he sat back down on the couch.

"Sounds like fun," Hikari joked as she giggled.

"Tons," Takeru mumbled sarcastically.

Hikari laughed again. "Well, if you can take time out of your busy schedule, I was wondering if you wanted to go see that new movie?"

Though Hikari couldn't see it, Takeru's eyes lit up in delight. "A movie?"

"Yeah, that new one at the ciniplex," Hikari verified.

"So...it'll just be you and me?" Takeru dared to ask.

"You, me, and Daisuke," Hikari explained.

The devil's minion: Daisuke. Every time that name was spoken, a shiver went up Takeru's spine. Oh, how he hated that boy's flirtatious behavior. Of course Daisuke was one of his close buddies, but because that damned boy was also vying for Hikari, Takeru did not really like him. Daisuke wanted Hikari and Takeru knew it. Hell, his flirting was obvious enough. And what pissed Takeru the most was the fact that Hikari tolerated Daisuke's efforts for romance--she actually warmed to him! Takeru feared that Hikari was contemplating a relationship between herself and Daisuke. And even though there was nothing to prove that that had happened yet, Takeru was slowly dying already. If only Hikari realized that Takeru loved her so, then perhaps she wouldn't warm to Daisuke; perhaps she'd take into consideration her friendship with Takeru becoming a romantic relationship.

"Takeru? You still there?" Hikari was concerned: Takeru hadn't responded.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm still here," Takeru confirmed.

"So, did you want to come see the movie with us?" her cheerful tone returned as she repeated her question.

Takeru pondered silently for a moment. If he didn't go to the movies with Hikari and Daisuke, then Daisuke would probably make a move for Hikari. However, if he did go with them, he could prevent Daisuke from flirting, but might possibly reveal to Hikari how he felt, and he wasn't ready for that yet. Takeru took a deep breath, making an important, but terrible decision. "Oh, I'm sorry Hikari," Takeru said clearly without showing any signs of reluctance, "but it seems that I've already got plans. I can't go with you after all." Takeru choked down his sadness at his final choice.

"Oh," Hikari responded bluntly, "that's too bad."

"Yeah," Takeru murmured in agreement.

"Okay, well, I have to go, Daisuke is waiting in the driveway," Hikari explained.

"Bye," Takeru said.

"Bye," Hikari hung up.

Takeru slowly hung up the phone, wrestling with his mind over the decision he had just made. "I've just given Daisuke an opportunity to make a move for her!" Takeru cursed as he buried his face in his hands. "But if I had agreed to go, I would probably somehow reveal to her how I feel, then she would hate me..." Takeru's faith in Hikari's adoration was shaky. Many boys his age were looking to Hikari, hoping that they could somehow hook up with her. But they weren't a threat: Takeru had established that Hikari would only choose someone she was close to. And there were only two possibilities for that outcome: Daisuke, and himself. And now Daisuke would relish in the time he had alone with Hikari, possibly make a move, then Hikari would accept him. But something told Takeru that that wouldn't happen, that Hikari wouldn't choose this soon. So even though Takeru was afraid because he had left them alone, he somehow knew that nothing incriminating would occur between them. It was an odd feeling, trusting that theory--that Hikari still wouldn't choose yet--but Takeru put his faith in it.

"Hey, Takeru!" the voice of Mr. Ishida called from the kitchen.

"Coming dad!" Takeru leaped up from the couch and dashed for the kitchen.

Mr. Ishida was hunched over the counter top, cutting up carrots for lunch, as Takeru entered.

"You wanted to see me, dad?" Takeru asked.

"Yes," Mr. Ishida agreed as he stopped his work and turned to face his son. "As you know, we've been finding some mighty big cockroaches crawling around the apartment building," Mr. Ishida pointed towards the bug trap sitting in the corner on the floor.

"It's disgusting," Takeru shuddered as he agreed, mentally counting how many cockroaches he had found and killed in his room over the past week.

Mr. Ishida nodded. "Well, other apartments have also been complaining about the bugs, so exterminators have been called in to spray the entire apartment building. They start tomorrow, and it will take a couple weeks for them to get the job done."

"Yeah, and?" Takeru raised an eyebrow, anticipating more.

Mr. Ishida sighed, knowing that his son would not like what he had to say next. he turned back to cutting the carrots. "Since the exterminators use a dangerous poison against the insects, I want you to go and live with your brother during the couple of weeks they're working. I don't want the toxin fumes to irritate you; plus, Yamato's apartment is closer to your high school, so you can walk to school in the mornings instead."

"What!?" Takeru gasped. "You want me to stay with Yamato? He won't want me there," he crossed his arms.

Mr. Ishida laughed. "That's true, but there's nothing he can do about it. I already called Sora, and she says its all right if you stay with her and Yamato for a couple of weeks. So go pack a few clothes and things you'll need while you're there, and I'll drive you there tonight."

"Hmph," Takeru huffed and stamped his foot. Though there was brotherly love between he and Yamato, sibling rivalry always interfered with the good times. Yamato used to be overprotective of Takeru when they were younger, but now that they were older--Takeru a 16 year old teenager and Yamato turning 19 soon--arguments were in abundance between them. However, when Sora appeared, she was able to calm most of the disputes. It had been 3 years since Yamato and Sora got together as boyfriend and girlfriend, and now they were living together in an apartment. Takeru tried to keep his mind from assuming what his brother and his girlfriend did at night--the noise of them in the night would be intolerable, he knew.

"Go get packed up now," Mr. Ishida prompted Takeru, "I'll take you as soon as we eat lunch."

"Right dad," Takeru agreed, and trudged down the hall to his bedroom.

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The elevator door opened and Takeru stepped out into the corridor, dragging with him a suitcase full of clothes and other necessities of his that he would need while he was staying with his brother.

".......number 1205......." Takeru muttered as he walked down the corridor, scanning the doors he passed for the number he voiced: the number of his brother's apartment. He finally spotted the digits, in bold script engraved in a metal plate hanging on the door at the end of the corridor. The door was slightly open, and blaring music and singing and a vacuum could be heard from within. Curiously Takeru pushed open the door wider.

"Hello?" Takeru called out as he stepped into the apartment. A stereo system in the corner was blasting the tune to the latest song on the airwaves, and a feminine voice in one of the rooms at the back of the apartment down the hall was singing along.

Takeru set his suitcase down and kicked off his shoes, glancing around the living room in search of the apartment's owners. He followed the source of the singing, walking down the hall towards the bedroom. The door was wide open, and the sound of the vacuum cleaner and the singer grew louder as Takeru approached. He peered inside, and saw Sora vacuuming the carpet floor, her back turned to the door, and she was singing and dancing to the music.

Chuckling to himself, Takeru reached down to the outlet in the wall, unplugging the vacuum. Sora, surprised, stopped dancing and singing and turned to see what happened to the vacuum, suspecting that she had accidentally pressed the button to turn it off.

"Damn appliance!" Sora mumbled as she flicked the vacuum's switch on and off, but it wouldn't turn on again.

Here Takeru loudly cleared his voice to catch Sora's attention.

Startled, Sora whirled around, her eyes brightening as she saw the figure of the blond teenager standing in the doorway. "Hi, Takeru!" she cheerfully exclaimed.

Takeru bent down and picked up the vacuum's plug, twirling it in his hand. "It's Friday, shouldn't you be at work or something?"

Sora laughed and approached Takeru, taking the swinging vacuum cord from his hand. "They're doing an inventory at the store today, and they didn't need my help. So I got the day off, and I decided to do a little spring cleaning."

Takeru grinned. "You should leave some cleaning for Yamato to do. He lives here too."

Sora shrugged. "He can clean the bathroom when he gets home."

Takeru nodded his head in agreement. "Are you sure that it'll be okay if I stay here while the exterminators are working on my apartment? Yamato probably isn't going to like mine being here."

Sora smiled. "Well, you are probably right about Yamato not liking you here, but there's nothing he can do about it. I invited you to stay here, so he can't kick you out. Now come with me, I'll have to get a blanket for the couch," she stepped around Takeru and headed out into the hallway.

"The couch?" Takeru was confused, but followed Sora.

"Where else do you expect to sleep? The floor?" Sora chuckled as she reached the linen closet in the hallway, opening it and pulling out a fleece blanket, then handing the bundle to Takeru.

"So there's cockroaches at your father's place?" Sora led Takeru to the living room.

"Yeah," Takeru agreed as he stumbled into the living room, struggling to see over the big blanket in his arms, "they're huge. I killed at least a dozen of them over the past few days. The stupid bugs are all over the apartment building. Dad says that the exterminators are going to be working on the building for a couple of weeks. So I hope that's not an inconvenience for you..."

"Of course not!" Sora smiled as she took the blanket from Takeru, then laid it out over the couch. "Even if there weren't those critters there I'd still want you to come visit us!" she grabbed some pillows from off of the armchairs in the room and threw them on the couch for Takeru to use.

"Thanks," Takeru smiled appreciatively.

"No problem," Sora shook her head. "So, you want pizza or fried chicken for supper?"

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"Oooo, can't eat any more pizza..." Takeru mumbled as he laid back on the couch and threw the pizza slice he had been eating back into the take-out box on the table beside him. He turned his attention back to the television, grasping the remote in his hand and idly flipping channels, searching for something entertaining.

Meanwhile, Sora was struggling to stay awake in order to finish a book she was reading. Finally she gave up: she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. So she changed into her night clothes--basically just an old T-shirt of Yamato's--and prepared to get into bed. But Takeru had the volume on the television on too loud.

Sora grumbled, and wandered down the hall towards the living room.

"Hey Takeru," Sora mumbled while leaning in the doorway. "Could you please turn down the sound? I'm going to go to bed."

"Oh, sorry Sora," Takeru agreed and turned down the volume.

"Thanks," Sora nodded as she turned and sauntered back down the hall. "Goodnight Takeru," she yelled.

"Goodnight Sora," Takeru shouted back, then heard the bedroom door shut.

Channel surfing was one of Takeru's late-night hobbies, but this time he found nothing worth watching. He glanced at the clock on the wall, muttering wearily to himself when he realized that its time read after 11:00.

"Might as well just get some sleep," Takeru reasoned and turned off the TV, pulling the blanket on the couch up around him and cuddling up his head against the pillows. In only a few minutes, Takeru was soundly sleeping, and no doubt dreaming of Hikari.

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Yamato yawned. "Late night...I hope Sora's not upset," he stepped out of the elevator and started walking down the hall, reaching the end of it and turning to face the door of apartment 1205.

He glanced at the watch on his left wrist as his right hand fumbled in his pocket for his keys. "Oh, almost midnight...latest I've been..." he found his keys and unlocked the door, entering his apartment.

Yamato took off his jacket and kicked off his shoes. He glanced around him, seeing that all the lights were off, so he assumed that Sora had already gone to bed.

As he ventured down the hallway, heading towards the bedroom, Yamato passed the living room. He peered inside, but since all was dark, he didn't notice that his guest was sleeping quietly on the couch.

Yamato continued down the hall, finally stopping by the bedroom door. The door was slightly open a bit, and Yamato gently pushed it to open it further. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he saw that Sora was the sleeping beauty who was lying on the bed. She was only wearing one of his old T-shirts, and she hadn't bothered to get under the covers--she was just laying on top of all the blankets on the bed.

Involuntarily, Yamato grinned. Sora looked so...appealing...hell, I'll just say it, she looked sexy. The T-shirt she wore was large, it stopped at mid-thigh, and entirely exposed her bare, smooth legs. And though the shirt was big, it appeared tight across her chest...which really got Yamato aroused. But her angelic face...soft ivory skin and rosy cheeks, strawberry-blond shoulder-length hair framed her gentle features, and pouted crimson lips...was something that begged to be kissed.

Yamato chuckled slyly to himself and strode towards the bed. Cautiously he sat on the edge of the bed, so as not to wake the sleeping beauty. He sighed as he gazed at her, reaching his hand up to tuck a strand of her red hair behind her ear. As he did so, Sora stirred and woke up.

"Hey Yamato," Sora smiled sweetly as she rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Sorry I'm late getting back," Yamato apologized. "They wanted me to re-organize the management files."

"That's all right," Sora smiled as she wrapped her arms around Yamato's shoulders, reaching in and kissing him on his lips. "As long as you got all the work done."

"Yeah..." Yamato trailed off, not really paying attention as his senses were focused upon Sora's buxom form.

Sora giggled as she noticed that Yamato's eyes were steadfastly fixed upon her chesty figure. "Couldn't stand the wait, could you?" she asked him as she drew him closer to her, her hands sliding over his shirt, her fingers beginning to lightly pluck at the buttons of his shirt.

Yamato snapped out of his trance with Sora's persistent question. "Oh, of course not," he agreed while his own hands slid up her bare legs.

Sora let out a low moan. "Mmmmmmm...you don't have to work again tomorrow, do you?"

"Nope," Yamato instantly answered, but then drowned out her possible response by suddenly leaning her back, kissing her deeply.

"Mmmmmmm...good..." Sora murmured beneath his lips as she felt his hands gently going beneath her shirt. His fingers wrapped around the waist elastic of her panties, and began pulling them down.


	3. Interruption

"Mmmmmmm...good..." Sora murmured beneath his lips as she felt his hands gently going beneath her shirt, and his fingers wrapped around the waist elastic of her panties, then began pulling them down.

Yamato grunted hungrily as he threw aside Sora's panties, then began wriggling out of his own clothing. His lips continued wrestling with Sora's, and his hands tickled her back beneath the T-shirt she wore. Finally he had stripped off all his clothing, his hands now tearing at that infernal shirt she wore that restrained him from kissing her where she liked it most.

Sora moaned softly as Yamato slipped her shirt off over her head, and his lips immediately nipped at her left nipple once it was exposed. He let his tongue gently circle her taught tit as he suckled it with his mouth, drawing a louder moan from Sora.

"...don't...stop..." Sora begged as she felt Yamato's thick hands sliding up her bare legs.

"...I don't intend to..." Yamato chuckled hoarsely as he tipped his head to the side, slowly dragging his lips across hers, then slipping his tongue out and between her lips, tracing the roof of her mouth.

A loud moan escaped from Sora as she felt Yamato's fingers teasing her labia. Tempted, she decided to do the same for him, and she reached her hand down to his throbbing member, taking in her grip the tense sac hanging below it.

"...uuuuuuhhhhhh...Sora..." Yamato chanted as Sora squeezed him more tightly. He noticed her shortness of breath, she was panting and sweating, indicating that she was nearing a climax. Eager to assist Sora in reaching that finality, Yamato suddenly spread her legs apart, then plunged the fore-finger of his right hand into the dilated opening nestled between her folds.

"Yamato!" Sora shouted out in a scolding tone, licking her lips seductively. "You naughty boy..."

"Only with you, lover," Yamato teased as he thrust two more fingers inside of her, then began moving them within her.

"...ooooooohhhhhh...more..." Sora begged, almost screaming in pleasure as she reached her climax, and her juices plastered Yamato's hand.

Understanding that this slickness would now make his work easier, Yamato removed his fingers from Sora, then crawled to lie more closely on her, his stiff shaft pressing against her exterior. Then he suddenly thrust himself into her, relishing in the pressure and the warmth upon his erect member, and drawing a loud cry from Sora.

"...oooooooohhhhh...Yamato..." Sora hissed a moan as he began the slow thrusting motions, building up a climax for each of them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her as he planted steamy wet kisses on her neck.

But then Yamato took her form in his arms, supporting her back as he moved his body around, switching their positions, so that he was now lying on his back on the bed, and she was on top of him, straddling his waist. He picked up the pace, thrusting in and out of her more quickly, the friction burning a passion throughout their entire joined bodies.

"Sora...Sora..." Yamato chanted as he worked for release, getting closer to that peak. He then sat up, and began to suckle her nipple once more as he neared that climax. Closer...and closer...

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Takeru could see her, standing there on the hazy horizon, holding out her hand and beckoning for him to approach her.

"Hikari!" Takeru called out to her as he ran towards her.

She moved both her arms up, outstretched, and waiting to take him into an embrace.

"Hikari!" he could feel himself smiling as he called out to her again. He held out his arms as he approached her, but just as he was taking her into a warm embrace, her image dispersed, and he was hugging only empty air.

"Hikari?" he yelled out, frantically searching for her in the vast emptiness surrounding him. And then he saw her, she was standing right behind him, but she was embracing Daisuke!

"Hikari?" Takeru whispered quietly to himself, not wanting to accept the scene before him. Hikari arrogantly grinned, hugging Daisuke more tightly, and letting his hands grope and fondle her. Then Hikari turned her head back towards Daisuke, passionately kissing him on his lips.

"No! Hikari!" Takeru yelled as he was jolted awake by the nightmare. He panted, coldly sweating, and ran a hand through his ruffled blond hair as he sat up on the couch.

"It was only a dream..." Takeru convinced himself as his eyes adjusted to the midnight darkness. He was still weary, detached and incoherent, but not wanting to fall asleep again; he might have another nightmare involving Hikari, the girl he loved, kissing Daisuke, his friend who also wanted Hikari for his own.

"Stupid nightmares...leave a ringing in my ears..." Takeru cursed as he scratched his head. All he could hear were loud moans and screams throughout the apartment, and he thought it was just leftover from the dream, since he was so tired, and it affected him even when he was awake. But even as he struggled to clear his head and become conscious, the yells and moans still resounded, seeming to be echoing from the bedroom down the hall.

Takeru stood up from the couch and stretched, saying the only word in his mind. "Hikari..." he murmured as he tried to forget the images of the nightmare he had just had.

"I wish I could just tell Hikari how I feel..." Takeru felt like such a coward. He tried to organize and sort out the images that plagued his mind, so that he could better understand what he was feeling for Hikari.

"Maybe if I talk about it with someone, then I would be able to comprehend all these confusing sensations," Takeru yawned and thought about who he should talk to to help him. "Sora might be able to help me," he reasoned, "but I can't wait until morning to figure this out...maybe I should go talk to her right now: she'd understand. And Yamato's not here, so he won't get upset."

Groggily Takeru ventured down the hallway towards Sora and Yamato's bedroom, not realizing in his foggy state-of-mind that the moans resonating throughout the apartment were coming directly from the bedroom--and not connecting the dots to realize what exactly was causing so much noise.

As he raised his hand and dropped it onto the bedroom doorknob, Takeru opened his eyes more widely, so as to see more clearly and not stumble into Sora's room and into another humiliating moment of clumsiness.

Turning the knob and leaning his shoulder against the door, he pushed it open quickly but silently, only to take in with wide eyes a sight that was even more rapid, but not at all silent.

Takeru saw everything as it continued without knowledge of his presence and he, dumbfounded, simply stood and stared with his jaw reaching his knees. Sora straddling Yamato, her face looking towards Heaven and her mouth wide open as it issued forth moan after moan. Yamato moving within Sora, his hips sliding back and forth between her legs, his mouth latched onto a nipple of hers as he mumbled incoherently her name past her areola.

And then, between chants of Sora's name, Yamato's eyes opened and his eyes roved to view the source of the slight breeze that blew past him, and found that it had been due to the bedroom door opening. Which had been due to a person turning the knob and pushing it. Which had been due to Takeru's presence. Takeru. His brother. Standing in the doorway. Wide eyes. Staring.

Yamato immediately released Sora's breast and stopped moving his hips, though Sora continued to move on him. Yamato flailed to cover Sora's chest with his hands as he reeled on Takeru. "What are YOU doing here!? Get the HELL OUT!!!"

Then Sora stopped bucking and turned, wide-eyed, to see Takeru's stare, and hurriedly covered the place where she and Yamato were joined with her own hands. Her jaw dropped noticeably, but no moans escaped this time.

And with the sudden silence, Takeru snapped to attention. Blushing fiercely he directed his eyes away quickly, looking anywhere but straight ahead. And his hand fumbled to find the doorknob again as he mumbled loudly, "...s-sorry!!! I'm SO sorry!!!!"

"Just get OUT!!" Yamato screamed as he released a breast long enough to grasp the pillow behind him and throw it at his brother, just as Takeru slipped out and slammed the door shut. "What the HELL is HE doing here?!" Yamato, panting in confusion and frustration, then demanded of his girlfriend.

Sora had been staring at the shut door, so shocked at what happened, that she almost didn't hear her boyfriend.

"SORA!" Yamato shakily exclaimed.

Then she regained her composure. Calmly she blinked the image of Takeru's voyeurism away from her sight, and grinned as she slowly turned to face Yamato. "Embarrassed?" she lisped.

"You're damn right!" Yamato spat out, then quickly regained his senses. "...don't change the subject! Answer me! What is my little brother doing here!"

"I invited him to stay with us for 2 weeks while his own home is overrun by cockroaches and exterminators. Is that a problem?"

"Of course it is! Especially when he simply walks in while we're having sex!"

"Oh, what a shame," Sora smirked. "If you have a problem, and would rather kick him out, then I have a problem," and she started to get up off of Yamato.

"...wait a minute," Yamato firmly placed his hands on her hips and pushed her back down on top of him. He stifled a groan of pleasure as he tried to clarify himself, "Don't do that...please..." he begged.

"But what of Takeru?" Sora smiled more broadly, knowing the answer already since Yamato could never resist her.

"Forget Takeru," Yamato sighed and looked up at Sora. Then he turned to face the door and angrily yelled, "If Takeru knows what's good for him, he'll take a walk for the next hour!"

Sora giggled. "Sounds reasonable," and she began to move against Yamato again.

Yamato simply groaned and picked up where he left off, right at her nipple.

And Takeru, standing out in the hallway, still shocked, finally regained his own senses and walked back down to the living room. He couldn't do as Yamato asked, and take a walk, because he had no key to lock the apartment door, and was sure Yamato would be even more pissed were a complete stranger to walk into the place and interrupt Yamato and Sora as well.

Instead, Takeru, becoming tired again, stumbled down the hall back to his couch-bed, lay down, and firmly wrapped a pillow about his head to try and block out the sounds of Yamato and Sora's lovemaking. Then he tried to get back to sleep.


	4. Rationalization

Yamato simply groaned and picked up where he had left off, right at her nipple.

And Takeru, standing out in the hallway, still shocked, finally regained his own senses and walked back down to the living room. He couldn't do as Yamato asked, and take a walk, because he had no key to lock the apartment door, and was sure Yamato would be even more pissed were a complete stranger to walk into the place and interrupt Yamato and Sora as well.

Instead, Takeru, becoming tired again, stumbled down the hall back to his couch-bed, lied down, and firmly wrapped a pillow about his head to try and block out the sounds of Yamato and Sora's lovemaking. Then he tried to get back to sleep.

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The morning after roused Takeru out of his sleep gallantly, and he, once he rubbed the Sandman's traces from his eyes, felt quite refreshed. But then he recalled what had occurred the previous night, and found himself to be quite surprised that he got back to sleep. Funny, he didn't remember dreaming further after his nightmare and after seeking Sora for help, but, then again, he didn't remember getting any sleep.

The curtains of the living room windows were all open, brightly welcoming the sunshine in. But they had been closed the night before, so someone was obviously awake and cheery enough after the night before to welcome further time added to their life. In fact, Takeru could hear the radio on in the room next door, and the sound of a female singing. The same voice that had been humming along to the radio the day before when he first arrived at the apartment.

Yawning, Takeru rose from the couch and stood, stretching and scratching like a cat. Then he padded across the carpet in bare feet into the kitchen.

The smells emanating from every appliance were intoxicating, and woke Takeru right up. He inhaled deeply as he thought, "Well, there's one good thing about staying here: Sora's a great cook!" And he immediately dropped himself down to sit in a chair at the table.

"Good morning, Takeru!" Sora brightly exclaimed without turning around to face him.

Takeru was about to ask how she knew it was him and not Yamato, but his stomach growled to answer her greeting instead.

Sora giggled. "Did you get back to sleep all right?" she smiled as she whirled around and plopped a plate full of bacon and eggs and pancakes in front of her guest, then proceeded to sit in the chair right beside him.

"...uh, y-yeah," Takeru nervously turned away as he felt his face grow hot, knowing very well what she was referring to. "S-sorry...about all that, and all..."

"Oh, hush," Sora waved her hand in the air as though waving away the whole situation. "Just forget about it. It was an honest mistake on your part...am I right?" she suddenly got very serious.

"Of course!" Takeru blushed even more as he angrily, abashed at what had happened, turned to face her with an expression that undeniably showed how he wished the whole thing hadn't even happened. "I wouldn't think of doing that on purpose!"

"Good!" Sora relaxed as she seemed to sigh in relief.

Takeru looked away again, as, though he was very embarrassed at what he had seen, he was even more embarrassed by the fact that he saw Sora naked when he looked at her, despite the fact that she was fully clothed, and despite the fact that he felt like throwing up at the fact that he couldn't help picturing his brother's girlfriend in the nude.

Sora laughed a little uneasily, trying to make light of the situation. "...why did you, you to my bedroom in the middle of the night, anyway?" she got serious again.

"I...i-it's nothing," Takeru suddenly wanted the whole night to be disposed of from his life, regardless of the fact that he still needed help from someone in figuring out what to do about his feelings for Hikari. He tried to forget the question immediately by picking up his fork and digging into the breakfast Sora gave him.

Sora sat back in her chair, fists on her hips and an expression on her face that said 'I don't believe you.' Sora huffed, "It can't be nothing; you ignored the noises of sex and came to my room anyway!"

"Please!" Takeru dropped his fork and covered his ears. "I'm embarrassed enough as it is, and besides, I was half asleep! I couldn't tell that the moans were from you and Yamato and not from the nightmare I'd had!" Takeru wished he'd bitten his tongue so he couldn't have spilled his guts.

Sora immediately pounced on the new information. "Moans? In a nightmare? That doesn't sound like a nightmare to me..." Sora giggled and grinned demonically.

"Well it was for me!" Takeru spat back, pushing his plate back to he could cross his arms and lay them on the table, resting his head on them as he felt near to tears.

"Really..." Sora stopped smiling and making innuendoes, and was genuinely concerned for her boyfriend's little brother. "You want to talk about it?"

"That's what I had meant to do last night..."

"Couldn't it have waited till morning?"

"...n-no, I don't think so. And now I feel even worse," Takeru looked up at Sora, not realizing that tears were forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Oh, my,...well, we can talk now," Sora retrieved the Kleenex box from the counter for Takeru, while Takeru suddenly discovered the stinging in his eyes and wiped the tears away with the back of his hand, hoping that Sora hadn't noticed.

Before he could reveal anything, Takeru had one fear to drive away, "Where's Yamato?"

"Oh, well, last night when he came home, he HAD told me he wouldn't be working today, so that last night he and I could ha--" Sora caught herself, "I-I mean, he had to work today, after all, so he won't be back until later this afternoon."

"He must want to kill me..." Takeru sighed and slouched in his chair.

"No, he doesn't," Sora reassured him, patting him on the shoulder.

Takeru took a deep breath, "Sora, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else what I tell you, and won't convince me to do something because you think it's 'for my own good,' okay?"

"Promise," Sora smiled, appreciative that Takeru would put his trust in her.

Takeru took another deep breath, exhaling slowly. He picked up his fork again and twirled his bacon about it, seeking delayance of the inevitable he had just committed himself to.

Sora was about to reassure him again, when Takeru suddenly said quietly, "It's about Hikari."

"...yes?" Sora encouraged when Takeru didn't continue.

"I-I...well, she is...for a long time now, I've..." Takeru couldn't find the right way to start. He turned to face Sora.

Sora was looking at him intently, seriously listening to him, sitting in her chair...in the nude. Takeru quickly looked away, cursing his hormones, and what he saw the previous night. He knew damn well that Sora wasn't naked, and, to distract himself from thinking about that possibility, suddenly spouted forth the other thing that was in his mind at that moment.

"I'm in love with Hikari!"

The silence between them was deafening. Luckily the radio was on loud enough to make Takeru believe that Sora hadn't heard him. But he knew she had.

"...oh, wow," Sora said quietly, noticing Takeru's gradually reddening cheeks and trying to soothe his embarrassment by almost pretending she hadn't heard him. But she had.

Now the thought of Sora naked was completely pushed out of his mind forever, since he had finally confessed to someone how he felt for the girl he was so afraid would reject him. Knowing that Sora had, indeed, heard what he said, Takeru had no choice but to continue talking, "...I've liked Hikari very much for a long time, and so I think it must be love."

"...oh, well..." Sora was certainly no expert on the topic of love, no psychologist of the heart. She herself had been in love only twice in her short life, the second time being with Yamato and continuing steadfastly right to this minute. She felt she knew that she was in love, but she had no right in saying that what Takeru also felt was love, because love is different things for different people, and what Takeru might be feeling might be drastically different from what she felt for his brother. She didn't know what to say. She suddenly felt like she didn't even know what love was, and wondered why on earth would Takeru come to her for advice.

"I figured that since you and my brother are...at least it seems like...in love, and because I'm embarrassed to talk to anybody else but you, you might be able to help me figure out what to do," Takeru confessed.

"...oh. Oh!" Sora came to her senses. "Yes, well, Yamato and I ARE in love, but I'm not quite sure what advice you're seeking...?"

"W-well...like I've just explained, I think I'm in love with Hikari, but I'm not sure what to do with these feelings..."

"Have you told her how you feel?"

"No. I'm too scared to do that!"

"Why? Hikari's an understanding girl. In fact, I'm sure she may have some pretty strong feelings for you!"

"Really?!" Takeru couldn't believe it.

"Weeeellll, I can't say that is true, but you two have been friends for quite a long time, and I've noticed that over the years, you've really bonded. I don't think that there's any other friendship that can compare to the one that you and Hikari share! But recently, I've also noticed that you have become a little distant..."

"Yeah, well, that's because I'm afraid that if I did show my feelings somewhat...accidentally or otherwise...she would reject my feelings..."

"Oh, I see," Sora realized.

"Yeah, well, I guess I shouldn't have said anything, since you don't have any advice to give me..." Takeru sighed and turned his attention back to his breakfast.

"Now wait just a minute!" Sora demanded. "Don't you feel better now that you've gotten this off your chest?"

Takeru paused. "A little bit..."

"And don't you think it'd be even better if you got the whole thing of your chest by just going to her and telling her how you feel? Like I said before, she's a very understanding girl. But she's also very kind and caring and, regardless of the situation, always willing to help out a friend in need...but I suppose you already knew those things, since those are probably also other reasons why you're in love with her, am I right?"

"Yeah..." Takeru agreed, but didn't add to the list the fact that he also didn't mind her physical appearance.

"All right, then, so we're in agreeance. Now, I think it'd be for your own good if yo--"

"Now wait just a minute!" Takeru interrupted. "You promised me that you wouldn't say that or do that if I told you my problem!"

"Oh! Right..." Sora faltered. Then she brightened, "But I didn't promise that I wouldn't ENCOURAGE you to do something!"

Takeru groaned. "It's the same thing!"

"No it isn't!" Sora giggled, "So now I'm ENCOURAGING you to do the RIGHT THING and tell Hikari how you feel!"

"No." Takeru flatly responded. "And you won't either!"

"Of course I won't," Sora became serious again. "But YOU will HAVE to. Sometime."

"I know..." Takeru moaned. "I just hope I have the courage to do it sooner and not later."

"Howcome?" Sora queried.

"Because..." Takeru reluctantly continued, "...another guy has his sights set on Hikari."

"Ooooh, really!? Wow, a classic high school romance!" Sora got all dreamy-eyed. "Who is it? Some athletic snob? The math whiz teacher's pet? Some jerk down the street...?"

Takeru let out a huge sigh, "...my best friend."

"DAISUKE!?" Sora exclaimed, disbelieving.

"Yeah," Takeru reluctantly verified.

"Oh, my, you DO have a problem!"

"I know..."

Sora pouted as she thought. "Then you'll have to tell Hikari how you feel right away!"

"...but if I do..."

"She won't reject you, I know it."

"Yeah, well, IF she does accept my...feelings...what about my friendship with Daisuke?"

"If you and Daisuke are really best friends, he shouldn't be too upset for long. After all, since Hikari and you are inseparable, as friends and--you probably will be--as lovers, this is destiny. You can't defy fate. And that is just something Daisuke can only accept."

"I guess you're right..." Takeru sighed.

"Besides, Daisuke's destiny will take him elsewhere--if yours and Hikari's is to be together..." Sora trailed off.

"...I suppose." Takeru decided.

"So, you'll tell Hikari how you feel very soon?" Sora was hopeful.

"...there's nothing else I CAN do..." Takeru mumbled, "...so I guess I'll have to."

"That's the spirit!" Sora cheerfully exclaimed as she patted Takeru on the back.

Takeru smiled at Sora, no longer seeing her naked, and hoped that he'd finally made the right choice.

"Now then, how's about some chocolate milk to go with those eggs?" Sora went back to preparing her own breakfast.


	5. Rising Heat

"So, you'll tell Hikari how you feel very soon?" Sora was hopeful.

"...there's nothing else I CAN do..." Takeru mumbled, "...so I guess I'll have to. Soon."

"That's the spirit!" Sora cheerfully exclaimed as she patted Takeru on the back.

Takeru smiled at Sora, no longer seeing her naked, and hoped that he'd finally made the right choice.

"Now then, how's about some chocolate milk to go with those eggs?" Sora went back to preparing her own breakfast.

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Very soon came quickly. Sora had arranged for she and Yamato and Takeru to go to the beach the following week, and little did Takeru know, but Sora had also arranged for Hikari to arrive as well.

"...so we're going to have a fun day in the sun and the sand, right fellas?" Sora smiled from her spot in the front-passenger seat of Yamato's car.

"Right!" the brothers exclaimed in unison, the older driving and the younger seated in the back with a picnic basket in his lap.

Driving took a while, but it was to a worthwhile beach: one that was virtually deserted at this time and day of the week, so they would be able to enjoy their lunch and fun in peace.

'Sora packed quite a bit of food,' Takeru mused to himself as he took a peek in the picnic basket. 'For once, I don't think Yamato and I will be able to eat so much!'

"...and we'll be enjoying a great picnic lunch with a fun guest!" Sora proclaimed as though she had read Takeru's thoughts and was answering them.

Takeru assumed that Sora was referring to the seagulls and other beach critters that preyed swimmers' beach lunches, and failed to connect Sora's reference to what she and he had spoken about the week before.

They finally arrived with the sun soaring high in the sky. They picked a prime location on the beach: in sight of Yamato's precious car--so he could watch it like a hawk in case criminals showed up to take it away, or whatever--and right close to the sea to they could simply dive into the refreshing water once they had waited that half-hour after eating. A half-a-dozen hundred metres or so away there was a peninsula hanging in the water just off the coast and downwind of the highway they'd driven on. The peninsula was all cliffsides and rock, and, standing on the beach and shielding his eyes from the sun, Takeru swore he could see a sort of cave. Which was probably a good thing if he decided he wanted to go spelunking.

The three of them set up Sora's huge beach towel and umbrella, setting the picnic basket in its shade. Then Sora herself sat down on it, and Yamato joined her. Takeru was about to be the first one in the water, ready with his swimming goggles to view the surf's shallow-water creatures, when he heard an angel call his name.

"Takeru! Hey, Takeru, wait for me!" a sweet feminine voice chimed.

Takeru reeled around, catching sight of a radiant beauty smiling, waving, and running towards him from the parking lot.

"Hikari!" Takeru, wide-eyed in disbelief, returned.

The angel was wearing a tank top, striped in shades of white and purple, khaki shorts, sandals, and a denim bucket hat, and carrying over her arm her towel, and under her arm a beachball.

"You weren't going to start having fun without me, were you?" Hikari playfully scolded.

Takeru was silent for a moment, taking in the angel's radiance. Then he remembered she'd asked a question. "O-oh! Of course not!" he laughed uneasily. "...um, what are you doing here?"

"Sora invited me to come!" Hikari gushed. Then she turned and waved at Yamato's girlfriend. Sora waved back, but had to nudge Yamato harshly to get him to wave too.

Hikari giggled. "She said that you all were having a picnic, and I was welcome to come! Isn't that great?"

"Of course it is!" Takeru exclaimed happily, then blushed profusely at his eagerness.

Hikari giggled again.

"I-I mean, I'm glad that you could come," Takeru intoned.

"Thanks!" Hikari was very grateful.

So was Takeru. Then he realized something. "Uh, Hikari, how did you get here? I didn't know you could drive yet."

"Oh, I can now. But Taichi offered to bring me, anyway," Hikari smiled.

"Oh," Takeru understood. He didn't know if he liked Taichi, what with the fact that Hikari's brother threatened to beat up Yamato when Yamato and Sora first started going out. But Takeru didn't think Hikari knew about that situation, and so he didn't voice his opinions. "Did he just drop you off, or something? Are we going to be taking you back home later on?"

Hikari sort of rolled her eyes. "I don't think so..." she droned, "...we just arrived, and just as I was getting out of the car and saying my 'thank you's and 'see you later's, Taichi put the car in park and proclaimed 'Well, it's such a nice day, I think I'll enjoy it at the beach too!' and I told him that he didn't have any beach stuff with him, but then he opened the trunk and I saw that all his beach stuff was in there, instead."

"Oh, so he's going to stay? But we don't have enough food for the picnic..." Takeru suddenly realized why there was so much food in the picnic basket: to account for Hikari. But then he deduced that, from his investigation of the picnic basket in the car, there was indeed plenty of food for four people, but five, should Taichi rudely insist he share in the feast as well, would only be permitted an equivalent of a dinner appetizer. "...for five people." Takeru finished his sentence.

"Oh, about that..." Hikari sighed, seemingly embarrassed, "...there'll be six."

"Six!? Who else has just arrived!?" Takeru exclaimed.

"Well, Taichi also had a friend in the car, and I assumed that the two of them would be going off and socializing together once they had dropped me off. But it appears that both of them want to stay and have fun on the beach..."

"...and? Who is the sixth person?" Takeru encouraged.

"Hey! Takeru, buddy!" a familiar voice cheerfully exclaimed from behind Hikari.

'Oh, dear God, no,' Takeru thought as he looked over Hikari's shoulder at the teenager approaching with Taichi.

"Oh, hey Daisuke," Sora had gotten up from her beach towel to find out what Hikari and Takeru were talking so earnestly about, and had approached the two teens from behind. She placed a reassuring hand on Takeru's shoulder to calm him, knowing very well how Takeru may feel now that Daisuke had arrived to interrupt his time with Hikari.

Before Takeru could say anything, Daisuke had thrown an arm around his neck and pulled his head down, giving him a noogie to ruffle his hair and irritate his scalp. "Hey, old pal!" Daisuke exclaimed cheerfully.

Disgusted, Takeru violently shoved Daisuke away. Daisuke fell down into the sand. 'Hah, serves him right,' Takeru thought. But when he saw the girls' shocked expressions, he quickly tried to alter the mood. "Oh, sorry...pal!" Takeru laughed, and reached a hand down to help Daisuke up, though he felt like he'd rather spit on him instead.

Daisuke took Takeru's hand, and squeezed it so tightly that Takeru thought it was going to break. Through partially clenched teeth, Daisuke chuckled, "Oh, no problem, buddy!" as he got to his feet. The war was now on visible terms, though only seen by the boys themselves and Sora.

To regain his 'status', Daisuke suddenly stepped up beside Hikari, and lazily draped an arm about the lithe girl's shoulders. "Hikari and I really enjoyed that movie we went to _together_ last week," he grinned up at Takeru, who was just slightly taller then he, and relished in Takeru's seething gaze. "It's just TOO BAD that you, Takeru, couldn't join us," Daisuke feigned a sad pout, while Takeru's hands slowly clenched into tight, tight fists.

Luckily, Hikari slipped out from underneath Daisuke's arm before Takeru could throw a punch. "Sora, I love your bathing suit!" she changed the subject.

"Oh, thanks! I know Yamato doesn't really take kindly to me wearing bikinis in public, but he said if I liked this little yellow one so much, he wouldn't mind," she chuckled.

"I'll say! I certainly don't mind!" Taichi discourteously, perversely, joined the conversation.

Sora, dumbfounded, tried to cover up her skin from Taichi's probing gaze with her hands and arms. Hikari, ashamed at her brother's lewdness, blushed and looked away. Takeru turned around and noticed that Yamato had sprung up from his seat on Sora's towel and determinedly stalked towards the group, the big T-shirt of his that she had worn as a cover-up on the drive there over his arm.

"Come on, Sora, can't you take a compliment? You used to so well before..." Taichi leered at her and winked, and Takeru felt like punching him as well.

Before Sora could respond, Yamato had approached and slammed the T-shirt over his girlfriend's head as he glared at Taichi. A sigh of relief could be heard escaping the shirt as Sora hurriedly pulled it on.

"How nice of you to visit the beach on the same day my girlfriend, brother and I decided to come," Yamato seethed, not bothering to hide the fact that he was royally pissed.

"Well," Taichi grinned, "I figured, 'Why just let my little sister and Takeru and Sora and you have all the fun on this nice day? Why not join the fun?' So Daisuke and I are here to do just that!" he raised his arm, revealing that he had brought with him his portable radio.

Takeru could see that the peace that had greeted he, his brother, and Sora when they had arrived would not grace them at all for the rest of their day at the beach.

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Surprisingly, and unhappily on the part of Yamato, Sora, and Takeru, the picnic lunch did satiate all six of them, though Takeru had lied and suspected that Yamato had too, just to ensure that the girls had as much as they wanted. Daisuke and Taichi, who hadn't been invited, but also couldn't be turned away without the maker of the picnic, Sora, seeming to be very rude, had also eaten as much as they wanted--quickly and impolitely. Their stomachs made such inhuman noises that a couple of times, Takeru thought that it was the bowels of Hell opening up to swallow them all down instead. Not that he would've minded if it was, since it would easily dispose of his problem with Daisuke, but then he would have minded, since Sora and Hikari wouldn't have deserved that. Taichi definitely would have, and Takeru wasn't sure if Yamato did too, since he did make Sora happy, but he had teased Takeru relentlessly when they were young children. Such is the sibling complex.

And it presented itself visibly at the beach that day, as well. Hikari, after the picnic, drew her brother aside to scold him for his lewdness towards Sora. Takeru could see them arguing down the beach, and could only sigh in frustration as he turned and saw Sora, who had become self-conscious that day thanks to Taichi's stare, sat in the shade of her umbrella on her towel, her legs drawn up and hidden beneath her T-shirt, her eyes hidden behind Yamato's sunglasses so she couldn't meet the pervert's gaze. Yamato sat with her, his arm draped about her shoulders in comfort, whispering things--probably of reassurance--to her while occasionally turning his head away to glare at the pervert down the beach.

Takeru sat alone, Daisuke out of sight somewhere, sort of building the sand in front of him between his spread-out legs into little sand castles, waiting for that half-hour wait after eating to subside so that he could pull on his goggles again and dive into that refreshing seawater. He wasn't an excellent architect, so the castles looked more like the surf had reached puberty and was getting pimples.

"Did you build me a new home?" a divine being's breath tickled past his ear.

"Hikari!" Takeru shouted as he jumped and turned to see her smiling at him over his shoulder, destroying the beach's acne in the process.

Hikari feigned sadness, pouting her slices-of-strawberries lips in a manner that Takeru knew was playful, but deep down wished was seductive. "The demolition crews arrived before I could even move in!" she giggled.

"Oh!" Takeru suddenly felt very guilty, though he knew Hikari was just joking. Then he remembered something, "Hey, where'd your brother go?"

Hikari groaned and rolled her eyes, "That jerk...I feel so embarrassed and ashamed! The nerve of him! Saying such harassing things to Sora...I hate him sometimes."

"Well..." Takeru started to defend the behavior of men, "...certainly you know that once a male has his attentions on something, he won't give up?"

Hikari sat down in the sand beside him and looked sideways at him. "Is that your nature too, Takeru?" Hikari giggled. She meant it teasingly, flirtingly, and Takeru understood that. The blood rushed to his skin, and he felt suddenly shy.

"U-uh...t-that is to say...what I mean is..." he scratched his head, embarrassed.

Hikari giggled again, but then turned serious. "True that Taichi still has...strong feelings...for Sora, but he should realize when to stop! This is destiny!"

Takeru froze: that word Hikari just used...that was what Sora had talked to him about the previous week when he'd talked with her about the feelings he had for Hikari. It seemed she knew the tendencies of fate as well...did she believe it held for her what Takeru hoped it held for him? Love...together? Takeru slowly shut his eyes as he imagined the possibility, but couldn't let himself sink too far into it, for the angel spoke again.

"It's too bad he isn't more mature...but that's why Sora had to leave him. I'm sorry to say it about my brother, but it's true. At first he was everything she thought she wanted, but as she grew up in their relationship, he didn't. So she couldn't stay with him."

"That's too bad..." Takeru didn't know how to respond. He recalled quite well when Sora first started dating Taichi: his brother Yamato was completely devastated. But Yamato was mature, and maintained his friendship with Sora while she was with Taichi by respecting her decision and not criticizing it. And because of his honest behavior, she began to lose interest in Taichi...for obvious reasons. By the end of Hikari's brother's and Sora's relationship, it was clear to everyone that the only thread that was holding it together was their libidos...their shared sex drives, if you will. But even with the hormones binding them, Sora never let Taichi claim her virginity...that was something she felt she had to keep intact until she decided she was really in love, and Taichi had never made her feel that way (though he had made her feel in...various other ways). When the end was nigh, Taichi kept persisting that they sleep together, that it would save what they had together. But Sora steadfastly, and wisely, refused. Besides, for the last half of their relationship she had secretly had a huge crush on Takeru's brother. And when Sora finally broke up with Taichi, she felt very free, and soon bound herself--though she never felt bound--to a real man: Yamato. And Taichi was left alone, bitter at his best friend and persistent to reach Sora's telephone. Eventually, he couldn't, for she had happily moved in with Yamato, and had been happy ever since. Taichi then abandoned bitterness for charm, trying to seduce Sora away from Yamato like he had before. Sora never gave in, and each time Yamato hated his ex-best friend even more.

"I'm so glad Sora's got a nice, strong, loving man by her side now," Hikari said while Takeru stared at her as she glanced over her shoulder in the direction that Sora and Yamato were sitting together. "Does it run in the family?" she asked Takeru while chuckling and still staring in the lovers' direction.

Takeru quickly looked away from her, instead directing his gaze at the sea. Her flirting wasn't fair! She was so lovely...he couldn't take it that he wasn't bold enough to tell her how he actually felt.

Suddenly, he realized that he couldn't hear Hikari breathing. He whirled to face her, and saw a shocked and delighted expression on her face. She was still staring in the direction that Yamato and Sora had set up their towel and umbrella in.

Takeru turned to look in the same direction, and saw that Sora had regained her confidence. She was lying on her stomach on the towel, out of the shade of the umbrella and instead in the sun, not wearing her cover-up T-shirt. Or even her bikini top, for that matter, as she had taken it off so as not to get any tanlines. Yamato was generously rubbing her back with tanning oil, wearing the sunglasses Sora had also removed when her confidence returned, and both he and she were seemingly enjoying it, judging from the expressions on their faces. Then Takeru remembered something.

"Hey, you didn't answer my question from before," he turned back to face Hikari. "Where did Taichi go?"

Hikari glanced up at him briefly from beneath her eyebrows. "The picnic. Remember how much of it he just ate?"

Takeru nodded...but didn't know why.

"He was the only one who had any sashimi...in fact, he ate all of it, right? And with this hot sun and all, it must have spoiled before lunch. So right in the middle of my lecturing him, he whirled away and threw it up."

Takeru felt a smile coming on, 'Ha! Serves him right!' he thought, but said nothing and kept the corners of his mouth down.

"I didn't know what to do, but luckily Taichi did. He was obviously embarrassed, and sputtered he had to go sit in the shade and cool down. He ran off to the parking lot, I assume to nurse himself in his air-conditioned car," Hikari seemed ashamed, shifting her sitting position so her legs were drawn up with her chin resting on her knees, and twirled a finger in the sand. "I want to yell at him that this is what he gets for hurting Sora, but he's my brother..."

Takeru scowled, thankful that the hat Hikari wore didn't allow her to simply cast her eyes up without turning her head, so she couldn't see his disapproval of this part of her kindness. But he did indeed love every other aspect of her caring nature.

"Oh, my," Hikari suddenly gasped and raised her head, again gazing in the direction that Yamato and Sora were situated on the beach. Takeru quickly erased his scowl, and again followed her stare.

Yamato was on his knees on Sora's towel, leaned down, the curve of his bare back facing the sun, as he whispered what Takeru assumed to be sweet nothings in Sora's ear. Sora was broadly smiling, giggling uncontrollably, and Yamato was still rubbing her back. Then he let one hand stray too far, and rub beneath her torso on her side facing away from Hikari and Takeru, and she sprang up to lie on her other side, her back facing her boyfriend's younger brother and Hikari, holding a corner of her towel to hide her bare chest as she laughingly shoved Yamato away. But Yamato animalistically pounced back, and pushed Sora on her back as she still held the towel to cover her nakedness. Then her lover jumped on top of her, straddling her hips, and leaned in for the kill: a passionate kiss. Sora wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, and let his hands roam to touch what she hid beneath the towel...

Takeru quickly looked away, not wanting to see such a sight again...and shook his head vigorously before the image of what he saw 'That Night' rematerialized in his mind. His sweat sprayed in all directions, and he suddenly remembered why he was sitting there in the sand to begin with: he had been waiting until he could visit the sea again. His hands fumbled at his side that Hikari wasn't sitting on, finally grabbing a hold of his swimming goggles. He raised them to his head, to put them on, when the angel beside him suddenly sprang to her feet.

"You're right!" she exclaimed, "We should give them some 'alone time.' Let's go swimming!"

"Huh?" Takeru slowly swung his gaze towards her, and was shocked when she began to strip. She pulled off her khaki shorts, revealing that the white and purple striped tank top she was wearing wasn't a tank top at all, but part of her one-piece bathing suit. His jaw dropped as she kicked off her sandals and threw off her hat, seemingly not caring where they landed. The next thing he knew, Takeru was watching Hikari skip into the surf, swinging something from her hand...his swimming goggles!

"Hey!" Takeru's hormones dispersed as he realized she'd taken his goggles right from his hands without him even remembering that happening.

Hikari put the goggles on herself, and kneeled in the refreshing-looking water. "If you want them, come and get them!" she giggled as she threw herself in the water and started swimming away.

Takeru, without knowing when he had gotten into the water, was giving chase.

Takeru was a strong swimmer, and he had caught up to Hikari...repeatedly. He kept falling back, since his hormones had returned, and were presenting simple words in unison in his mind. '...Hikari...limber...wet...Hikari...soaked...bathing suit...Hikari...all wet...gorgeous...' With such a distraction, Takeru wondered how he remembered to breathe.

He then realized where Hikari was headed. She was swimming in the direction of the cliffs of the peninsula he had eyed when he first arrived at the beach. 'Maybe she wants to go spelunking too,' Takeru thought.

The swimming was beginning to wear Takeru down, but also, he found he was quite aroused. 'Probably because its Hikari I'm chasing...' Takeru chuckled inwardly. Mid-stroke he glanced towards what he was approaching. Hikari was ahead of him a few meters, and the cliffside was just a few meters more! Takeru decided he could beat her there. He dove underwater, feeling the smooth, eroded rocks just below the water's surface with his feet, bent his legs, and pushed off of them, propelling himself farther underwater than he could swimming with his head above the waves. His hands held straight in front of him, he felt that he had reached the cliff, and victoriously jumped to surface out of the water, it being only waist-deep now that the sea-bottom was closer to the land.

"Ha! I beat you!" Takeru shouted as he rubbed his eyes then searched for Hikari. He couldn't see her anywhere. "Hikari?" he asked quietly, fearing the worst: that the tides had caused her fragile bones to crash against the huge cliff rock, and drown her. "Hikari!" he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted away from the cliff and towards the open sea.

An angel giggled above him.

Takeru whirled around, and found sitting on an outcrop of rock, her legs dangling off its edge out of the water, Hikari. She wasn't drowned; she wasn't even hurt. She was kicking her legs slightly, smiling down at him, and twirling Takeru's swimming goggles from their elastic headband around her wrist.

"I beat you," Hikari teased.

Takeru feigned anger and crossed his arms, pouting slightly. "...you had a head start," he ventured.

"That's no excuse. I'm better than you anyway," Hikari's grin expanded.

"Better at what...?" Takeru raised an eyebrow and left the question open to interpretation.

Hikari laughed again, and tossed his swimming goggles down to him. Takeru scrambled to catch them, splashing water and keeping his attention focused to holding them...and not letting Hikari take them away from him again.

"Look out below!"

Takeru glanced up to see that Hikari had pushed off her rock-seat, and was falling down towards him. He had just enough time to throw his goggles over his arm to hang from around his elbow, and stretch his arms out to catch the falling angel.

There was a sudden splash, and for a horrifying minute, Takeru thought he had missed catching the girl he loved. But then he felt arms being thrown about his neck, an ear pressed against his shoulder, and uncontrollable giggling. He had caught Hikari, and she was making herself at home in his arms.

"Hey, you are good at something!" Hikari playfully teased, nuzzling her nose in his neck as she still laughed.

"...y-yeah..." Takeru couldn't believe it. After months of dreaming of such a moment, he finally had Hikari alone with him, and happily in his arms! He thought he'd drowned and gone to Heaven, his angel with him.

"...Takeru?" Hikari wondered why he wasn't laughing too. But then she felt herself blush as she turned to look at him, and found him staring straight into her eyes. It was unnerving, but strangely thrilling, and she found that she couldn't look away from him, either.

"...u-uh, Takeru, you can put me down, now," Hikari ventured, trying to break the trance.

"S-sure..." Takeru immediately obeyed, gently placing her on her feet on the water's rocky bottom. The water level was above her navel, and it seemed to Takeru that it supported her slightly curvaceous chest. She looked beautiful to him.

Strangely, however, when he put Hikari down, she never relinquished his neck, and still had her arms wrapped around it as they continued looking in each other's eyes. Takeru, not knowing where to put his hands now, unconsciously let them go to rest on Hikari's hips. But she didn't even seem to notice.

'Heaven...I'm in Heaven...' an old song playing in his mind, Takeru was spellbound by Hikari's gaze. Was she moving closer? No, it had to be the sea's waves pushing up against them. But her grip was tightening, and her hips pressed more tightly against his...

"...Takeru..." Hikari was also lost in her dear friend's eyes, their emerald depths not allowing her to look away. She was slightly aware of the surf crashing against them and the cliffside, but all her eyes took in was Takeru's gaze, and her sense of smell welcomed the aroma of saltwater combined with Takeru's personal musk needfully, and her touch understood the lean muscles of Takeru's back with her arms wrapped about his strong neck. Only one sense was unaccounted for: taste. She had the undeniable urge to experience it as well, and his lips looked inviting in the form of pink slivers of licorice. Without her realizing it, she was going in towards him, want forcing her to stand on tip-toe to try to reach Takeru's mouth.

Takeru was also disconnected, only seeing a pair of delicious strawberry slices approaching, and since his stomach was unsatisfied from not eating enough at lunch, he wanted them. He let his lips part slightly to take them, desiring to first feel their juices against the outside of his mouth.

Suddenly, a particularly strong ocean wave crashed up against them, pushing their legs out from under them and carrying them with it towards the cliff. They both snapped out of the trance, and Hikari held more tightly onto his neck as his hands released her hips and reached out to stop the water from forcing them into the rocks. Takeru's hands touched rock, and his feet found the sea bottom. The water retreated, leaving them both panting at the event.

Hikari released her tight hold on Takeru, and leaned back, parting their bodies. Her back met seaweed-covered rock, while Takeru's back faced the sea. His arms stretched out, his hands were planted firmly on the rock, shielding Hikari from any more forceful waves with his body. Her arms were still wrapped about his neck, so he was forced to lean his head menacingly close to hers. Though it wasn't menacing, since their eyes locked again...

"...u-uh, thanks," Hikari mumbled, her cheeks growing hot.

"...n-no problem," Takeru stumbled, her lips inviting him closer again.

The waters calm again, Takeru's hands strayed down the rock, and rested on Hikari's hips. He meant to this time, and he thought he saw a coy grin begin to grow on her face.

"...that was quite a ride..." Hikari ventured, her arms releasing their grip about his neck.

"...y-yeah..." Takeru couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Were you scared? I think I could hear your heartbeat over the waves," Hikari explained, a hand sliding up his chest to rest over his heart. "Ah, there it is."

Takeru caught his breath, 'God...she's so tender when she touches...' he thought. His mind began to wander, to think about where else she may touch tenderly...but he reprimanded himself, trying to keep his mind non-perverted when he was with Hikari. At least, right now.

Then Hikari removed her hand, and replaced it with her ear. She sighed, "Yes, its very strong..." her hands sliding up to rest on his shoulders.

"...I guess..." Takeru said quietly, almost laughing hysterically. This had to be a hallucination: she was Heaven touching his heart. Yes, he was going insane. That had to be it. Or else, why would she be this close to him? He knew she considered him a very good friend...and wasn't that all? It was he that was in love with her, not she in love with him...right? He refrained from looking in her eyes: he would probably go over the edge with grief that he couldn't have her. He was so damn shy: he had the feelings but no courage.

"...Takeru."

He looked down at her with her insistence. She was looking in his eyes...then looking at his lips. Then his eyes again, and she pressed her hands down on his shoulders, raising herself up. Almost on cue, Takeru leaned down to meet her, thinking once again that her lips were strawberries, and nothing would stop him from tasting them. Closer...and closer...

And her mouth turned away from his, though her head continued moving forward. Takeru felt gentle hands wrap around his bare torso, tracing his spine, as he felt strawberry slices graze his earlobe.

"...Takeru, I think..." Hikari faltered, her voice raspy.

Takeru slipped his arms about her back in kind, pressing her to him again. Hikari sort of gasped in his ear, and he could smell the salt water in her hair.

She continued, "Takeru...I think I really...really li-"

"HEY!! What are you guys doing here!?" a voice exclaimed from somewhere behind them. Then it realized something, "...ALONE!?"

Hikari turned away from Takeru, to face whoever was talking, who was in the direction of the spelunking cave Takeru had sighted from the beach. Takeru dropped his head into Hikari's shoulder, his lips touching her collarbone, but noticed neither how pleasant it felt nor smelled since the moment was gone. Takeru cursed himself inwardly, for his cowardice, for he had the opportunity to kiss Hikari, and it had passed. He suddenly demanded of himself that he be bolder, but it would be too late to use in the situation they had just shared...alone...together.

"Daisuke, I'm just spending some time with just Takeru, here," Hikari explained to him, and Takeru thought that she was almost annoyed, and nearly spoke to the intruder as though she was talking to a five-year-old. Though Daisuke was silenced for a moment by Hikari's words, Takeru didn't appreciate the fact that her being alone with him required her to justify it to Daisuke.

"Oh yeah?" Daisuke challenged. "Well then, now you can come and spend some time with just ME," Takeru, eyes still closed and lips still on Hikari's collarbone, felt Daisuke's anger sear his tone of voice.

Suddenly, Takeru felt Hikari shudder in his arms. He raised his head to look at her, to see what was wrong, and witnessed in her eyes near berserk anger as she scowled at Daisuke.

'Yes!' thought Takeru, 'she's been turned against him without me having to lift a finger! Thank you Daisuke for your ignorant and irritating attitude!' Takeru turned and smirked at Daisuke, but then Daisuke's body, as he stood at the mouth of the cave, suddenly relaxed.

"...sorry, Hikari," Daisuke softened. Takeru felt Hikari cease shaking, and she visibly cooled down, her ire subsiding.

'Sorry!?' Takeru thought as he realized that he had thought too soon that Daisuke had screwed himself. 'What the Hell!? What game is he playing!?'

"Hikari," Daisuke's eyes were pleading, big and puppy dog-like, "I just wanted to show you these interesting animals in this spelunking cave. I didn't mean to interrupt you and Takeru...really..." Daisuke begged.

Takeru heard the lie, and felt berserk rage building in himself instead. 'What a disgusting jerk,' Takeru thought, and he looked up to see that as Hikari looked at Daisuke, Daisuke was almost pouting, pushing his lower lip out as though an apology...but Takeru knew that his 'friend' was probably thinking that this move was seductive, as he presented to the girl his lower lip for her to suck on.

"...oh," Hikari broke the silence. Takeru whipped his head around to look back to Hikari, and her eyes stared back into his: he thought she was trying to implore him...perhaps to forgive her? And then he realized what she may have been beseeching for forgiveness for, as she removed her hands from their comfortable positions on his shoulders, and slowly--reluctantly?--pushed away from him.

"...that's all right, Daisuke," Hikari began wading away from Takeru and towards the blond youth's rival. But she went away slowly, as Takeru unconsciously raised his arms up in Hikari's direction, as if to catch her were she to suddenly change her mind and return to him. But he knew she wouldn't...not this time, anyway. He could only watch sadly as she ventured towards the enemy, and he almost began to cry.

Suddenly, he heard the devil chuckle. While Hikari was busy being careful of where her feet stepped as she walked on the ocean bottom, looking down through the waves, Takeru looked up to gaze at her charge. Daisuke was looking straight back at Takeru, the pouty lips gone as one hand was placed confidently on its corresponding hip, and he smugly smirked back at the Ishida youth. 'Hah!' the demon's eyes seemed to mock at Takeru, 'You don't have her anymore!'

Takeru could only look sadly at Hikari as she cautiously goose-stepped amongst cliff rocks, and then turn and stare daggers at his rival.

And Daisuke's smirk murdered poor Takeru.

Finally Hikari reached the cliff outcrops at the base of the cave opening, and as she reached her arms up and out to grab a hold and climb up, Daisuke reached his hand down to grasp hers, and pull her up. Takeru nearly shouted protest, but mutely stood and watched Hikari smile as she accepted Daisuke's assistance. Suddenly, Takeru realized that those were his swimming goggles that were dangling from around Hikari's elbow. They must have transferred from his arm to hers--somehow--when they were standing close together...enjoying each other's company...before Daisuke had interrupted.

As Hikari stood up next to Daisuke at the mouth of the cave, she seemed to realize that she had Takeru's goggles...or did she really seem to? She sort of gasped, but it appeared fake, as though she had known all along that she had Takeru's goggles. She took a step away from Daisuke, away from the cave and towards Takeru, looking at the blond as he stood dumbfounded in the water. She had deliberately taken his swimming goggles--again--though this time, instead of as a game, she seemed to have taken them for an excuse: an excuse to leave Daisuke and go back to Takeru--to return the goggles. Had she really done that? Takeru's mind spun: she wanted to return to him! She had done this on purpose!

But before she could say a word, Daisuke piped up, gently grasping her upper arm and tugging her back towards him. "Where are you going, Hikari? You agreed to come spelunking with just me," Daisuke stated plainly, almost orderly, reining her into her promise.

Takeru's heart plummeted, and Hikari visibly froze. "That's right," the lithe girl sighed.

"So, come on then," Daisuke turned to walk into the cave, his hand still clasped about her arm, looking as though he would go so far as to drag her in with him were she to suddenly change her mind. But both boys knew that Daisuke would not have to do this, as Hikari was a polite girl who kept her word.

She gave a forlorn look in Takeru's direction, and was about to turn to go with Daisuke, when she remembered the swimming goggles hanging on her arm. Her eyes seemed desperate to say something concerning the goggles, but instead of insisting she had to return them, her lips instead formed the words, "Takeru, can I borrow your swimming goggles?" she immediately seemed to regret what she had said.

Still without his senses, Takeru spoke before he could think, "Anything for you."

Suddenly Takeru felt his face grow hot, and thought he saw Hikari blush before she turned her head to look away and say quietly, "Thanks."

Then Daisuke, with a jealous expression on his face, roughly turned away from the sea and back to the cave, and with his hand still in a tight hold around Hikari's arm, made her follow him as they descended into the cave.

Takeru watched the two figures disappear, then stood there alone in the ocean spray a century longer as his mind reeled. He had nearly kissed Hikari! This was a step in the right direction. But Daisuke now knew that Takeru was getting bolder, and would probably try to make his own move for the lovely girl while he had her alone with him in the dank spelunking cave.

'Should I follow them? Ensure that Daisuke won't kiss her first? ...I mean, at all!?' the Ishida youth pondered. But then his fear welled up again, 'But if I do that, and prevent him from making a move, she'll see that I really like her, and what if she doesn't like me back, then she'll reject me, and I couldn't handle that...' Takeru was the coward again, totally forgetting that just minutes ago the object of his affections had pressed her near-naked body against his willingly.

Saddened, Takeru could only listen a while longer for the couple spelunking in the cave, for when they had gotten too deep inside of it--and so far away from Takeru's heart she seemed--the pain of imagining what Daisuke could do gnawed at him. To put his mind at ease and on other things, Takeru looked back to the beach. Yamato and Sora seemed to be done playing, so it was safe for him to return. He threw his body over the waves and began swimming back to shore.

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The day for the beachgoers would end when the sun leaned down to kiss the horizon. With such an action, poor Takeru was left to wonder what Daisuke had done with Hikari in the cave besides spelunking.

After swimming back to shore after leaving Hikari with his rival, the Ishida youth was left to sit in the sand and stare at the far away mouth to the cave, his mind spinning with whatever images his desperate heart could conjure. Maybe as Hikari had Takeru's swimming goggles on, Daisuke feigned tripping and falling just so, as he was reaching out to regain balance, he could 'accidentally' grab a hold of the angel, while instead he was trying to cop a feel. Or perhaps he would point out an interesting nocturnal creature in the water to Hikari, and as she tried to see it she would have to lean in close to him to try to see what he was seeing, and he would quickly steal in and kiss her.

Whatever Daisuke had tried with Hikari in the cave was not evident to Takeru, as when they finally returned to the beach they were both laughing and fresh faced, after having such a fun time alone together. The fact that the angel was laughing alongside the Devil and not with Takeru himself caused the blond teen to break inside, his brows furrowed in disbelief that Hikari could have fallen for Daisuke's obvious attempts to steal her innocence from her. But Takeru had also lost his voice during that process, and could only weakly smile and nod with reluctant approval at all the things Hikari explained she happily investigated in the spelunking cave while alone with Daisuke.

"Well, it looks like the day is done," Hikari said as she gazed out over to the horizon at the sunset.

Yamato and Sora were busy packing up their refuse from the picnic and whatever other things they had brought with them to the beach. Taichi was presumably still nursing his rotten sashimi sickness in the comfort of his car, and Daisuke was nowhere to be found--he had disappeared almost as soon as he and Hikari had returned to shore, and Hikari had abandoned him to explain to Takeru all she had seen in the cave (and to return his swimming goggles to him). That left, at this current moment, Takeru sitting alone with Hikari in the surf, though Takeru was still shocked that Hikari had been alone with Daisuke and had failed to realize that it was now HE who was alone with Hikari.

"...Takeru?" a hand of slender elegance, lightly tanned upon its back from the sun's rays, slipped up the boy's upper arm and came to rest on his shoulder.

Takeru regained his senses, and slowly turned to acknowledge who was talking to him. He was startled to find that an angel was at his side.

"Oh! Hikari! How was the cave?"

Hikari stopped for a moment, then broke into laughter. "Have you not been listening to a word I've been saying?"

"...no, I have..." Takeru fumbled for words.

"Then what was it that I told you I saw in the bottom of a shallow pool in the depths of the cave?" Hikari queried ?" Takeru hurriedly said the only thing that came across his mind. Then he looked away quickly, embarrassed that he was wrong and had not been paying attention to the one thing that usually held his focus so well. He cursed himself inwardly, pondering why he had cared so much that Hikari had been alone with his rival when he knew damn well that Hikari wasn't the type to succumb to a Demon's influence. He swore silently to himself about himself even more for not trusting Hikari, since he realized that if he really did love Hikari, he would be able to trust her everything. And he thought he loved her.

Hikari didn't berate him for not listening, however. Instead, when Takeru felt the hot flush in his cheeks fade away and he turned back to face her, he noticed that her features had softened, and the expression on her face was one of concern.

"If you weren't listening, what were you thinking of?" the angel sincerely wanted to know.

"...sunsets," Takeru blurted out as he gazed into Hikari's eyes.

Hikari blushed, but remained looking at her dear friend, "...they are beautiful, aren't they?"

Takeru was about to debate what Hikari said, and state something (someone) else that he found more beautiful than sunset rays at dusk, but she suddenly turned her head away from him and looked out at the horizon. She smiled as the wind whipped gently around her head, wisps of her hair riding the currents and waving it to those behind her. Takeru quickly stole a glance over his shoulder to ensure that it wasn't Daisuke that the hair was waving to, and when he didn't see Satan's minion he quickly turned back to watching the angel.

"...yeah," Takeru finally answered Hikari's question, though he felt like he was slipping away and would soon not hear a word she said again as he instead would be entranced by her appearance.

The two friends sat in silence as the sounds of the ocean crashing and seagulls calling and wind breezing flew past them, Hikari staring at the orangening sun that slowly fell below the horizon line and Takeru staring at the aura that surrounded the girl beside him.

"Takeru, were you really thinking of sunsets?" Hikari suddenly spoke.

Takeru jumped: the angel had deceived him. She had not turned to face him to alert him that she was going to ask him something; she had simply looked out of the corner of her eye at him without turning, her query slipping out from between grinning lips.

But Takeru also couldn't lie to her, and without thinking said the truth, "No."

Hikari was quiet for a moment, but she had turned her eyes back to look to the sun. Takeru thought that she hadn't heard him, but then she softly chuckled, "Why have you been staring at me?"

"...no reason," Takeru quickly looked away. He knew she wasn't dense, that her peripheral vision would easily have allowed her to see him whilst watching the sunset. But he was shocked that he had let himself become so obvious: though he spoke no word, his actions were letting Hikari know what emotions he had for her.

Hikari looked down at the sand, "...friends shouldn't lie to one another," she stated.

Takeru began to mouth an apology, but suddenly heard something very dear.

"...they also shouldn't lie to their hearts."

"...Hikari?" Takeru's heart skipped a beat.

"Yes?" Hikari turned to look fully up at her old friend, sincerity in her eyes, an earnestness to hear certain words.

"I--"

"Come on you guys, it's time to go!" Yamato's voice rang loudly through the air, crushing the moment.

Takeru let out a deep sigh, and turned, exasperated, to see the source of the atmosphere-destroyer. Yamato was waving at them from where he was standing next to the parking lot. Sora suddenly ran up from the car to stand beside Yamato, and violently nudged him. Yamato let out a childish "Ow!" as Sora reached up on tip-toe to whisper earnestly in his ear. He stopped waving, confused as he listened to her, but then his face cleared as he suddenly got the picture. Takeru sighed again: Sora had now told Yamato of Takeru's efforts to tell Hikari of his emotions. Sora scowled at Yamato before turning and heading back to the car, and Yamato gave Takeru the thumbs-up before turning and heading to the car himself.

Takeru sort of smiled to himself, thinking he finally had some REAL alone time with Hikari. Then Hikari stood up.

"He's right, we should get going," she brushed the sand off of herself, then lent a hand down to Takeru to offer helping him stand up.

Takeru sighed once more, took the soft hand gently with his own, and got up.

"I had a nice time today with you," Hikari said as Takeru took his hand back and brushed the sand off himself.

The Ishida boy stopped, but his senses remained conscious as he smiled back at his friend, "Me too. I'm glad you could come."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you don't feel the same way about my brother staying around," she began walking towards the parking lot.

Takeru followed her, "Weeellll, I didn't see much of him after he got sick. I'm sorry you'll have to deal with that when you get home."

"...thanks," the angel answered, reluctantly since she figured that she shouldn't be harbouring vengeful thoughts towards her own flesh and blood.

Takeru laughed heartedly, and Hikari joined in. They continued as they approached the parking lot, and as Takeru scanned the lone two cars situated there, he could see Daisuke sitting at the wheel of Taichi's car, a scornful glare cast from his eyes directly to Takeru, his knuckles clenched white around the steering wheel. Takeru noticed, and smirked as he reveled in his rival's jealously, but Hikari didn't see as she had turned back to face Takeru.

"I guess Taichi is still sick...or maybe just too ill to drive," Hikari made small talk.

Takeru smiled down at her, "Drive safe."

"I'll make sure Daisuke does," Hikari giggled as she turned and skipped to her brother's car.

Takeru faltered as he noticed Daisuke grinning evilly. The brunette youth suddenly threw his door open and jumped out of the car, grasping tenderly the angelic hand reaching for the back passenger door.

"Allow me, Madame," Daisuke flirted as he opened her door for her with his other hand and bowed down to her.

Hikari smiled at him and giggled. "Thank you, Monsieur," she stepped into the vehicle and took her seat.

Daisuke shut Hikari's door, then turned and grinned triumphantly as he returned to his driver's seat and shut the door. Takeru was fuming as he watched the spectacle, but then Taichi's car roared to life, and it was all Takeru could do to weakly raise his arm and wave to Hikari as she waved to him. The car sped out of the lot and away down the highway.

And Takeru stared until the backlights of the angel's chariot had disappeared, then he, slumped over, sauntered over to the lone car waiting for him.

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"Man, I feel like shit," Taichi swore freely: Hikari had fallen asleep in the back seat, so he had no worry of her jumping up to reprimand him.

"Your own fault, man," Daisuke scolded as he drove, "you had complained on the drive there that the sun was murderous. I stayed away from the fish: I figured you'd put two and two together and come to the same conclusion."

"Yeah, yeah, shut up, you sound like my mom," Taichi dragged a corner of the beach towel on his lap across his forehead to mop up the sweat. "...what an embarrassment. Sora probably didn't think I was too sexy today."  
"Why should she? She has a boyfriend," Daisuke droned.

"If that's a boyfriend, he's a pretty pathetic excuse for one. I bet she misses what she had with me: I could really make her feel good," Taichi mused as he smiled to himself.

"Did she tell you that?" Daisuke disbelieved.

"Of course! I can't make up the way I make her moan!"

"...made. You can't make her react that way anymore."

"No, make. Because I still have the skills she loved in me, and she most likely would still appreciate them were I to use them on her today."  
"But you couldn't, because you got sick. So pay up," Daisuke held his hand out to collect the money from their bet.

"Yeah, yeah," Taichi weakly reached for his wallet, and forked over the agreed upon $20. "But if it wasn't for that damn fish, my friend, it'd be your money that would be exchanging hands right now."

"Sure, whatever," Daisuke smirked as he shoved the bill in his shirt pocket. Then he resumed his focus on driving, and Taichi groaned in his illness as he mopped his brow with the towel again. They sat in silence, only the sound of Hikari's gentle breathing as she dozed in the back seat could be heard.

"...she sounds beautiful," Daisuke finally spoke, more to himself than to his friend in the front passenger seat beside him, as he glanced up to the angel's reflection in the rear-view mirror.

"...yeah, I know," Taichi mused, lolling his head in agreement. "At first I never wanted a sister, but she's proved herself. I must say that I admire her: she's really strong in many different ways."

"...I've noticed," Daisuke smiled.

Taichi pondered, "Listen, man, you've proven to be a real good friend to me...since Yamato isn't such a great pal to me. Girls have some rule about not dating their friends' exboyfriends...isn't there some rule like that for guys, too?"

Daisuke merely chuckled, "If there is, it's news to me."

"Yeah, well, anyways, I think I've done as much as I can in trying to get Sora back on my own. I need help. Preferably yours," Taichi muttered.

"My help? How can I help?" Daisuke feigned naiveté, knowing quite well what his friend was going to suggest.

"Idiot. I need you to convince Sora that I've changed. She still trusts you, unlike me..."

"True that," Daisuke laughed.

"...so? Will you do it?"

"How've you changed? Just today you were rude concerning complimenting her bikini...I don't think that has made it any easier to get her to believe you're different."

"...just tell her I still love her...and it's not just the fooling around I miss."

"That lie is so thick I could cut it with a knife..."

"Hey! It's not just the making out! I really do love her...she's perfect."  
"But for the time being, it's your libido that needs satisfaction."

"That, and showing up that asshole ex-best friend of mine. I mean, what the hell has he got that I don't have? I'm more mature now! Plus, she probably doesn't get enough satisfaction from Yamato anyway, and misses me."

Daisuke sighed, "Fine, but I need you to do something for me in return."

"Name it."

"Takeru used to be a real pal, but now that he's got his eye on your sister he's become a jerk to me. I don't blame him, he realizes that I've got a chance with Hikari, and he's jealous because he wants her too. But I'm afraid that Hikari will consider him over me, just because she's known him longer and so trusts him more. I want her to pick me, of course, but the only way to do that would be to show her Takeru's less-than-perfect traits. You know, the stuff that he does when she's not around. That way, she'll be able to see that Takeru is not the guy for her."

"Sounds good. Hikari's a sweet girl, and I'm sure that you and she will make a good couple. Sure, I'll help you out," Taichi reached over and patted his friend on the back, as they couldn't shake hands on the deal while Daisuke was trying to drive.

"Excellent. I'll help you win Sora back, and you'll help me get set up with Hikari. Excellent," a wicked grin slid across the teen's face.

"You're like the brother I never had, Daisuke," Taichi chuckled heartedly.

"But, Taichi, you never know, that wish may become reality," Daisuke said.


	6. Change of Lust

"Excellent. I'll help you win Sora back, and you'll help me get set up with Hikari. Excellent," a wicked grin slid across the teen's face.

"You're like the brother I never had, Daisuke," Taichi chuckled heartedly.

"But, Taichi, you never know, that wish may become reality," Daisuke said.

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During the days following the visit to the beach, Takeru was lighter than air as he re-enacted in his mind over and over again the images and accompanying sensations of being alone with Hikari. He pictured her in his arms as they stood in the seawater near the cliffsides, closer to each other than Takeru ever thought was possible. In fact, as soon as they had returned back to Sora and Yamato's apartment from the beach, Takeru took a shower with the excuse to his brother that he had to get the salt off, when in reality he stood in the showerhead's spray and imagined that the smell of Sora's strawberry shampoo was actually from Hikari's slices-of-strawberries lips. But Takeru stopped there: he didn't attempt to taste Hikari's lips by kissing the shampoo.

Emerging from the bathroom after the refreshing fantasy, Takeru immediately ran into his brother. Takeru yelped in surprise, but Yamato merely grinned. Then the elder Ishida son poked the younger's chest with his fingertip.

"I thought you had a thing for Hikari," Yamato smugly said.

Takeru scowled and pushed past his brother, "Shut up."

But Yamato followed him down the hall, "I knew it! All along! You're in love with her!" he immaturely taunted.

It was Takeru who tried to be mature, though he was younger, "Be quiet and leave me alone. Or I'll knock you down."

"Ooooh! You think you can beat me up, do you? Well, take that!" Yamato socked the back of Takeru's head with a pillow he had grabbed from the teen's couch-bed as they entered the living room.

"Bastard!" Takeru immediately recovered and grabbed the second pillow, wheeled around, and smacked Yamato in the side.

"Little weakling!" Yamato teased as he hit his brother back.

Takeru was about to get Yamato at his knees, but suddenly a girl shouted.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Sora's head poked around the corner of the doorway to the kitchen. "Or I'll beat you both up!"

Both young men stopped, but then turned back to each other. Yamato smirked down at his younger sibling, and Takeru glared back. Then Takeru turned back to Sora.

"But he started it!" Takeru whined as he pointed at Yamato.

"I don't care who started it! But you, Yamato, have to come here and lick this."

Both Ishida males' eyes grew wide.

"...lick what?" Yamato asked coyly as his tongue slipped out the side of his mouth.

Sora gave him a disgusted look. "This, you pervert," she said as she held up a stirring spoon covered in chocolate.

"Mmm! Brownie batter!" Yamato sprang up to go to the kitchen, but before running off, he slammed Takeru with the pillow one last time.

"Hey!" Takeru shouted in protest, but Yamato had already disappeared into the kitchen. Beaten, Takeru dropped down onto the couch and sighed.

Sora strolled over and sat down beside him, Yamato having taken the spoon from her and staying in the kitchen to enjoy it and whatever else was leftover in the mixing bowl. Sora put an arm comfortingly around Takeru's shoulders.

"Chin up, Takeru," Sora consoled him. "This is just his way of encouraging you."

"Encouraging me to what? Feel even more depressed?" Takeru sulked.

"Stop that," Sora scolded him, "you must realize that there's going to be many obstacles besides fear of rejection that are going to try to turn you away from her." As she paused and glanced up to the kitchen doorway, "Yamato being one of them."

"I heard that!" was the return shout from the kitchen.

Sora giggled, "But Yamato actually does support you going for Hikari, it's just that he has...other ways...of encouraging you."

"Teasing is encouragement?" Takeru sarcastically asked.

"You expected something different from your older brother?" Sora incredulously responded.

Takeru looked away, "Sort of..."

Yamato bounded in from the kitchen, the last of the brownie batter hanging from the corners of his mouth. "Hey, little brother, I'm just kidding around when I tease you like that. I didn't know you'd take it so seriously."

"Well, if you felt as seriously as I do about this, then you'd realize how much I do take it," Takeru spat back as he glowered back at his brother.

Yamato was taken aback, "I'm sorry..."

"Forget it," Takeru tried to smile, "I'll just remember not to listen to you from now on."

Yamato smiled heartily back, "It's a deal."

Sora clapped her hands, "Good! A truce!" and jumped up to head back to the kitchen. But looking at her boyfriend, she noticed something and stopped. "Yamato, there's something on your face."

"What? Where?" Yamato crossed his eyes to try and see.

"Right here," Sora grinned as she leaned into him and licked some of the brownie batter from the corner of his mouth.

"Ooh," Yamato understood, "is there any more?" he smirked.

"Yep, right there. Hold still and I'll get it for you," she licked at the other corner of Yamato's mouth.

"Ooh, that's nice how you're cleaning me up. But I think there might be a mess inside too, if you don't mind," Yamato took Sora's lips in an open-mouthed kiss.

Meanwhile, Takeru had fled the livingroom, grabbing his coat and Sora's apartment key, and leaving the vicinity before he could see anymore of Sora and Yamato's foreplay.

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The next day parted Sora and Yamato, as Yamato had to go to work. A relieved Takeru was free to spend the day relaxed in the comforts of the apartment, while Sora had various errands to run. Takeru spent the time lounged on his couch-bed, reading and thinking about Hikari, dreaming that the pictures of the sexy ads in the magazines were of he with Hikari and not some impossible model pair.

Finally, Sora returned to the apartment to stay for the day; all errands were complete. She seemed harried to Takeru when she walked in.

"Busy day, Sora?" Takeru drawled.

"Yeah," she answered. "But I got everything I had to do done. The funny thing is, everywhere I went I had the feeling that I was being followed," she uneasily glanced over her shoulder as the door to the apartment shut closed.

"Really? Was someone stalking you around town today?" Takeru seriously inquired.

"I didn't see anyone..." Sora shrugged her shoulders. "Must be just my imagination. Anyways, I'm going to go take a shower before I start on dinner."

Takeru stood up and stretched. "I think I'll go for a walk around the block, just to stretch my legs," he decided.

Sora smiled, "Sounds good. Here's my key. See you later," and she wandered off down the hallway towards her bedroom.

Takeru pulled on his running shoes and stepped out of the apartment, turning the knob to ensure that he had locked it. He grasped the knob to pull the door closed as he left, and he turned to leave down the stairwell that was right next to the apartment. But then he heard a scuffle down the hall in the opposite direction. He whirled around to look, but could see no one. Just the elevator doors closing and a huge decorative plant that was shaking a little. But since he could see no person, and he assumed that the plant's movement was affected by the air conditioning, he chuckled to himself as he headed to the stairwell.

As he walked he released the doorknob, assuming that the momentum would shut the door. He didn't realize that there wasn't enough momentum, and as he hurried down the stairs the door stopped moving and failed to be closed.

At that moment, as soon as Takeru had disappeared, a figure emerged from behind the huge decorative plant near the elevator doors. The person rushed down the hall, towards Sora and Yamato's apartment, but slowed when he realized that the door had not shut.

The young man laughed to no one as he grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open. A tall man, his head of bushy brunette hair just touched the top of the doorframe as he stepped inside the apartment. He could hear a shower on, and a sweet feminine voice singing softly. Again the person chuckled to himself as he turned around and ensured that the door was completely and securely locked closed.

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"...I never thought I'd change my opinion again...but you moved me in a way that I've never known...you moved me in a way that I've never known..." Sora sang along to the tune carrying on in her head. She didn't care how loud she sang: she knew no one was in the apartment to sarcastically applaud her efforts.

As she sang away she rubbed body wash all over her supple, naked flesh, reveling in the rough feel of the water nailing down from the showerhead. She remembered she heard somewhere that a cold shower doesn't hinder arousal, but amplifies it, and mused that hot water was even better. She moaned and heard the rhythm in her head pick up again, so opened her mouth to sing again.

But then she started, as she thought she had heard a door shut. Nervously, she looked over her shoulder, then reached out to draw back the shower curtain. She recalled how during her errand run she had felt like someone was following her, and felt that feeling now.

"Takeru? That you?" she called out as she stared at the slightly ajar bathroom door that led to her and Yamato's bedroom. She reached to turn off the water, but as silence only greeted her question, she laughed to herself and shrugged the uneasy feeling away. Thinking she was just being foolish, and that Takeru had already left as he said he would, she drew the curtain closed again and resumed her shower.

The song in her head had continued without her, so she sang the lyrics that accompanied it, "...but straight away you just moved into position again...you abused me in a way that I've never known...you abused me in a way that I've never known..." she started to lather up her face and kept her eyes closed.

Then she heard another strange sound, and made the song she was singing flee from her head. She heard a creak, which was a familiar sound to her. The sound was one which had, times before, alerted her that Yamato was trying to sneak into the bathroom to join her in the shower. It was the bathroom door opening. And, like times before, she assumed that Yamato was again going to attempt to join her in the shower.

"Yamato, I thought you had to go to work," Sora confidently scolded as she ignored him and continued lathering up. "Did you lie just to surprise me?"

She heard a low throaty male-voiced growl in response, and smiled that Yamato was playing predator again.

She giggled lightly, airily, and decided to play his game, "Why don't you come join me?" she said sexily, and immediately the sounds she heard were of clothes rustling and a loose belt buckle crashing to the tile floor.

She laughed again, "If I were you, I'd have already stripped down. Then again, I am already stripped down. And very wet," she sighed suggestively.

She heard another animalistic growl, this time right outside the shower curtain. She opened one eye and saw a very manly silhouette formed against the curtain. Then she shut her eye tight again, like the other one, so as to tease her lover further. She knew how much he liked to see her eyes when he was ministering her, and decided to taunt him until he made her get off.

"...so? Come on in," Sora demanded, her hand reaching out to find the curtain edge. But suddenly the curtain was dragged urgently open, and just as quickly was closed again. The only difference to the bathroom environment now than before the invitation Sora made was that she was not alone in the shower.

Sora smiled as she smelled the intensely male musk that had joined her under the water. "Mmm, that's nice, isn't it?" she asked her manly shower companion.

She heard a throaty sound, weak with desire, as an affirmative. But he didn't even attempt to touch her.

"Come on, now, don't be a stranger. You've done this before," Sora reached out and her hands touched lean torso muscle. "Touch me," she ordered.

Immediately a pair of callused hand seized her shoulders, then slowly slid down the front of her chest, around to her ribs, over her hips, to her thighs, and another turn brought them to rest on her butt. Then the hands pulled her towards their master, pressing soft feminine breasts to toned masculine chest.

Sora moaned, "My, aren't we horny." She could feel a male member, half-hard, prodding her inner thighs.

Another throaty grunt of approval. But no other movements.

"Silly, do I have to tell you how to do it? Well, if that's your game...kiss me."

Thick lips descended on Sora's mouth, and hungrily nipped at her lips for a second before parting.

"That's even better. Do that everywhere on me," Sora commanded.

He didn't need to be told twice. She could feel suction and hear suckling sounds emitted along her jaw, on her neck, against her collar bone, on top of her shoulder, at the edge of her elbow. The place she liked best where he kissed her was her earlobe, which he had drawn into his mouth and worried with his teeth. At least, she thought she liked it best, until he discovered her taught nipples. Between every searing hickey she moaned or sighed and ground her body against his. And this encouraged him.

Away from her chest his lips drifted, and she heard thumps and felt the fiberglass shower vibrate as he kneeled down. Her eyes continuously squeezed shut, she could still find arousal in the sensation and sound of him kissing her abdomen. A hickey against her navel, one planted right on her hip, another in the crease of her leg to her stomach. Then nothing, though those huge hands soothingly caressed the backs of her legs.

He was waiting for her order. She was starting to dislike this game where he got her all bothered but then stopped to hear for her go ahead. But she figured that this would deliver in the end, and so continued to play along. "Kiss me there."

And she thought she'd lose her mind over all the pleasure he was redeeming her between her legs. Instinct made her raise one leg and throw it over his shoulder as he knelt before her, while her hands raked though his great mop of thick wet hair. Thick lips nipped and pecked and smooched and Frenched her, and she realized that Yamato had never been this inventive before. Between moans she managed to gasp out, "Where've you been getting your ideas, that Sex Diaries magazine?"

A throaty growl of response, as manly as it was, pushed her over the edge, and she screamed out as she climaxed. She wondered if he could taste her over the continuous shower water spray.

"Oh, that felt so good," Sora panted as she came back down, and her leg was pushed off his back as he stood up. She was still shuddering with the aftershocks of her orgasm when he crushed her body between his and the shower wall, and used one hand beneath her bottom to lift her up off her feet, Sora instinctively throwing a leg over his hip, while a finger of his other hand plunged deep inside her.

"...more..." Sora moaned quietly as she dug her fingernails into his shoulders, deep enough to leave little crescent moon-shaped marks there tomorrow.

His lips sought her neck again while her hands moved down to squeeze his butt. Then she felt him near her entrance, and smiled that he had taken this move without waiting for her order. Just as she felt his tip against her folds, she decided to do something for him.

"Wait," Sora demanded, and pushed him away from her.

He grunted in disapproval, but she only laughed.

Still with her eyes shut tight, Sora knelt on the shower floor, her hands gripping his hips to aid her descent. "Now it's my turn," and one hand slid around his leg from his hip and gripped the arousal that stood out from space between his legs.

He started to groan in disapproval, but mid-moan he changed his mind, and ended with a very pleasurable noise in his throat. Sora merely smiled as she, blind to his state as she had her eyes closed, used one hand to pump him and brought the other to cup his sack.

A strangled "Ahh!" issued from his mouth and echoed through the bathroom. Sora paused a moment; the voice sounded deeper than what she was used to of Yamato's cries times before. But she shrugged the uneasiness quickly away, she had other tasks to attend to at the moment. Besides, she figured, it was probably just a trick to her ear thanks to the sound of the shower and the echo the bathroom created.

"You like that?" Sora giggled. "What else do you like?" still playing the game, but this time asking him for orders.

He didn't say a word, instead she felt one of his thick hands gently cup the back of her head, and slightly push forward, giving her a very clear message of what he wanted.

Sora giggled lightly, and heard him sigh deeply in response. He was rock-hard in her hand, and with her eyes still shut she relied on the sense of direction she had acquired a while ago after she had driven home late one night after a few drinks and a policeman stopped her and asked her to shut her eyes and touch her nose. She puckered her lips and inched her head forward, and kissed the end of his cock.

He sighed, hoarsely, earnestly, and she could feel the fingers of the hand on the back of her head curl, digging into her wet hair. She decided to spice things up. She decided to use her tongue. He obviously liked that: he tried to thrust into her.

Sora giggled, "Anxious, are we? All right then," and she opened her mouth wide, and took all of him inside.

He couldn't help himself: he couldn't remain silent any longer. "God, Sora!"

Sora froze. So did her partner. The mood was broken, since Sora recognized that voice of his. But it wasn't Yamato's voice.

Slowly, she pulled off of him, and he gasped when he was free again. Then she rubbed her eyes cautiously, carefully, to get the lather out so she could, when she opened her eyes, see clearly without having to blink. And then she opened her eyes, and screamed at what she saw.

"TAICHI!" she exclaimed, and immediately stood up, gripping the shower's built-in shelf to keep her balance. Then she ripped the shower curtain back, and ran out to grab her towel. Panting, she tightly wrapped her bath towel around her body, and shivering in anger and fear, kept her back to the shower as she gripped the bathroom sink to keep herself standing.

Taichi didn't immediately speak. Instead, once Sora fled the shower, he calmly turned the water off. He could hear her gasping for breath, and nonchalantly stepped out of the shower. He stalked towards Sora, not bothering to find a towel to cover his shame.

"...so you're the kind who deals with the games in the mind...well you confuse me in a way that I've never known...you confuse me in a way that I've never known..." Taichi lowly sang another part of the song he'd heard Sora singing in the shower when he'd first invaded her apartment. He sang the last verse right in her ear as he had come to a stop right behind her.

"You bastard!" Sora reeled around and pushed him. There were tears in her eyes.

Taichi stumbled back, but his feet found floor, so he didn't fall. He stood up straight, confident. He stared back to Sora and smiled. He still had a hard-on.

"That was nice," he said softly, and Sora didn't know if he was being sarcastic towards her pushing him, or talking about what they had just done in the shower. Alone. Together. She took him to meaning the latter, as he had then smiled even more broadly, if that was possible.

"Fuck you," Sora didn't usually swear, but she was so upset at the moment she didn't care for words, only for consequence. "FUCK YOU!!" she screamed as she lunged at him, knocking him to the floor.

Taichi landed flat on his back, and the wind escaping his lungs was audible. Sora landed on top of him, straddling his torso as she avoided his erection. He reached arms up around her, but then she started punching him, and he moved his hands so they gripped her upper arms, to try to push her off. She got him right in the eye before he finally rolled and threw her off of him.

"Yamato taught me that!" Sora spoke of her fighting skills then, panting, she scrabbled along the floor to get away from him, and cowered in a corner while Taichi cursed and tried to get up.

Slowly, deliberately, Taichi got up, and Sora watched his every move. He stood up and went to the bathroom sink, to catch a glimpse of the shiner he'd received from her in the mirror on the wall. It was starting to redden. He chuckled, then grabbed a bath towel from the rod on the wall next to the sink, wrapping it around his waist. Then he turned around and looked at Sora.

Sora gasped, afraid he'd try to hurt her. She was vulnerable. 'If only I was in the kitchen,' she thought to herself, 'I could grab a knife to defend myself with.'

Still smiling, Taichi lazily took a few steps towards her, then stopped when he was a foot away. Then he pointed up to his bruised eye, "Yamato taught you this? I could've taught you better."

"You're a complete asshole," Sora spat at him.

Taichi's fists went to his hips as he threw his head back and laughed out loud.

Nervously, Sora got to her feet, but was shaking all over. She still leaned back into the corner for support. "I should call the police on you."

"...and tell them what? That a 'stranger' came into your apartment and he pleasured you because you told him to, but then you changed your mind about sex and want me locked away because I gave you a hickey?" Taichi pointed to Sora's neck, where the blood vessels had obviously broken beneath the skin due to his suckling. "Or two?" he took a step towards her, so they were face to face, and moved his pointing finger so that it touched her chest where a love bite was visible just above her towel.

Sora was shivering in fear. Taichi towered over her, and she was looking up at his eyes and struggling not to cry. She swallowed audibly. Taichi's smile was menacing to her. She was afraid that if she tried to fight back again, he would use violence and force her to finish what they had started in the shower, by raping her. Taichi lightly moved his hand, open palmed, to be against the side of her face.

Sora gulped again, thinking 'This is it: he's going to have his way with me, just because I wouldn't when we were going out. He's caught me, and no one's around to save me.' She squeezed her eyes shut, but this time it was in fear and not for foreplay.

But when she thought he was going to start--he had leaned in real close as if to kiss her--he sighed as though exasperated, and turned away. He pulled his hand away and took steps away from her.

Sora opened her eyes, surprised, to see what he was doing. He had walked back to the bathroom sink, and was looking more seriously at the purple ring that surrounded his eye.

Taichi sighed again, his hands on either side of the sink, and hung his head. "Sora, didn't you feel anything?"

"I thought you were Yamato! Didn't you hear me ask him that question about lying about going to work!? I thought you were my boyfriend!"

Taichi turned around and leaned back against the sink, "Even when you asked him if he'd been getting ideas from Sex Diaries magazines?"

Sora at first thought Taichi was mocking her, but the expression on his face seemed so sincere. She didn't know what to say.

"Sora, I want you to know that I've changed from what I used to be," Taichi stood up straight and clasped his hands together.

"I don't call breaking into my home and sneaking into my shower under the guise of my lover as having changed," Sora glared at her former boyfriend.

Taichi chuckled as he ran a thick hand through his damp hair. Sora watched it, and realized that it was the same hand whose fingers had been inside her only minutes before.

"I was immature, I know," Taichi continued as though Sora hadn't even spoken.

"Damn, right! I'd also call what you did just now immature!" Sora fumed.

Taichi took a step forward. "But it wasn't, was it? You could feel how mature I am, couldn't you?"

Sora blushed. No words came except the childish: "Shut up."

Taichi smiled. "But I have changed, regardless of what you want to believe. I've grown up mentally and emotionally. As well as physically."

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

He took another step towards her. "Sora, I want you to know that I still love you."

"Oh, please!" Sora sarcastically sniffed.

Another step forward, "And I came here to talk to you, but--"

"How the Hell did you get into my home in the first place!?" Sora demanded. "What, did Takeru politely invite you in as he was leaving to go for a walk!?"

Taichi sighed as he looked to the floor. Quietly he mumbled, "I've been following you today, and he didn't shut the door completely as he left, and--"

"YOU!! So I wasn't being paranoid! You're stalking me!" Sora became excited. "Oh, this is rich! Now I really DO have something to call the police about!" she bravely emerged from her corner and ran out the bathroom door, racing to the telephone that was on the bedside table in the room beyond.

"Wait!" Taichi raced after her, one hand holding the towel secure around his waist, the other reached out, and grabbed her wrist just as she picked up the receiver.

"Don't touch me!" Sora easily shook his grasp away, and turned back to the phone, reaching to dial the police.

"I said wait!" Taichi grabbed her again, ripped the receiver from her hand with the other hand, and slammed it back down on the telephone base. Then he grabbed that other wrist, and bodily threw her on her back on her own bed, while he still stood on the floor, but was bent over and face to face with her.

She was panting, chest heaving: fear had returned as she believed that this was where Taichi had decided to rape her.

But he was out of breath too, and could not help thinking that Sora looked beautiful when she was angry.

"Sora, I love you. I'm never going to stop loving you. And I'm telling the truth when I say that I've changed! I'm sorry I followed you since it scared you, but what I do is out of love for you! I came here originally to talk to you about all this, but when I heard you singing as I came in..." Taichi sighed forlornly, "...I couldn't help but thank God that you have always been the woman I love. You haven't changed since we broke up."

Sora laughed hysterically, out of disbelief of what he was saying, and fear of what he might to do while she was in this vulnerable position.

Taichi's expression changed to one of concern, and looking into his eyes, Sora thought she saw tears forming.

"And I'm glad that you haven't changed, since I want you to give me a second chance."

"Are you kidding!?" Sora found strength with her anger, and as she moved to sit up she pushed him off of her. "I am happy in this life with Yamato; without you!"

"Are you sure?"

Taichi was speaking of maturity, and Sora recalled how just the previous day Yamato was immaturely teasing Takeru. Exasperated, Sora sought an excuse, "There are no second chances!"

"There are new beginnings," Taichi had approached the bed again after being pushed away, and sat down on the edge of it.

Sora pulled her legs up, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He sighed, mounting his elbows on his knees, and hung his head as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hands.

Sora couldn't help staring, and reminiscing about what she once had with Taichi. And what she had just had with Taichi. She'd had fun. 'No, stop thinking that way,' she thought to herself, 'you love Yamato...don't you?' her eyes roved the body of her exboyfriend, his skin slightly darker in shade than Yamato's, his arms slightly stronger when lifting her up... 'Stop it!' she slammed her hands over her ears, attempting to drown out her own thoughts. "Stop it!" she shouted out.

Taichi turned to look at her. "I'm sorry if you feel I hurt you, Sora. But in truth, we've done this before: these acts of physical love. And before it wasn't pain. So what makes it pain now?"

"I'm committed to another," Sora explained quietly.

"What, just because you live with Yamato, it's painful to have fun with me anymore?"

"Yamato is my boyfriend now, and you are not anymore!"

Taichi sighed and looked away again. "All I ever did was love you, and want to make you feel as good as was possible. That's all..."

Sora started to drop her guard, "...really?"

Taichi suddenly whirled to face her. "Yes!" he exclaimed, urgency in his eyes.

Sora looked away, quickly feeling shy. "But I'm happy in my life with Yamato..." she seemed to say with much reluctance.

"And you were happy in the shower with me just moments ago..."

Sora was on the verge of tears, "It's not my fault! I thought you were Yamato!"

"But I still made you feel good, didn't I?"  
"It's not my fault..."

Taichi reached out and grasped Sora's hand. She didn't pull away.

"All I want is to show you how much of a better person I've become. Just one more chance."

A tear fell from Sora's eye. "...just one more chance."

Taichi smiled gently, and raised her hand to his mouth, planting a sweet kiss on its back. Then he released it to climb further onto the bed, towards Sora, and leaned in close. His head close to hers, his eyes locked on hers. She looked away. He reached a hand up and wiped her single tear from her face, and she looked back to him. And he looked down at her lips and then back up to her eyes, and moved an inch closer. And she stayed still.

Then he kissed her. She didn't kiss him back.

He parted from the kiss and looked into her eyes again, his mouth smiling gently. He moved his hand into her hair. She suddenly threw her hands onto his shoulders, suddenly thinking she had to push him away. But when he moved in towards her again, she didn't force him back. And when he kissed her again, she kissed him back. And it felt good.

Sora moved her hands from his shoulders to around his back, nails scraping up his spine, as she got more involved in the kiss. While Taichi's one hand stayed rooted in her hair, he slid the other across the bed to her drawn-up legs, finding an ankle. He cupped her soft heel, then moved his palm up her calf, over her knee, up her thigh, and beneath her towel.

Suddenly, Sora changed her mind. This was her body, her heart, her choice, but it was on her's and Yamato's bed, in her's and Yamato's home.

"Stop!" Sora withdrew her tongue from Taichi's mouth and pushed him off of her.

"What's wrong!?" Taichi nearly fell off the bed, and nearly lost his towel, in the process. He managed to stumble back to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, and re-tied on his towel: his hardened cock was trying to peek out again.

"...not here. No, not here," Sora nearly sobbed as she glanced around the room, seeing all kinds of possessions that were her's, or Yamato's, or both her's and Yamato's. This was her life all around her; all her life up to this day. This day when she was making love to another man. Another man who was not her boyfriend.

"Sora? I thought...but I told you that I'd..." Taichi was confused.

"No...I need to think..."

"What!? I've told you why I'm here and everything...what else is there to think about?"

Sora stared at him in disbelief, "My life had other commitments before you came here today, you know! I have to think about them over you!"  
"But that's not what you want! What you want is right here! Me!"

"Don't tell me what I want! You don't know anything about what I want!"

"I know you wanted me to fuck you in the shower just a few minutes ago!"

"Fuck you!"

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Takeru decided to return to the apartment by going up the stairs: no use in ruining the exercise he was getting by using the elevator. He was hungry, and hoped that Sora had gotten dinner started so he could satiate his growling stomach with the smells while he waited for the actual food to be served. He fished in his pocket for Sora's key as he approached the apartment door.

And as Takeru unlocked the door and entered his brother's home, shouts and yells of an argument resounded throughout the apartment. He could hear a feminine voice, one that sang and was cheery and an advice-giver: it was Sora's voice. But the other voice...Takeru couldn't put his finger on. It was masculine, and confident, and, for some reason Takeru couldn't deduct, made him shiver in disgust. It wasn't Yamato's voice, as though his brother at times disgusted Takeru, this voice he was hearing argue Sora seemed even more horrendous.

Takeru decided to find out what was going on. The fight was going on down the hall, in the owners of the apartment's bedroom. Louder seemed the voices as Takeru approached, but he didn't think it was just because he was closer. It seemed to him that those who were yelling were just getting angrier and angrier.

Finally at the door, which was slightly ajar, Takeru put his ear close to listen. Though he was eavesdropping, Takeru figured that Sora knew he'd be returning at some point, and would realize that not only he could hear the fight, but their neighbours could as well. 'Sora must really be upset to raise her voice like that,' Takeru thought that as vivacious as Sora was, she'd never become so agitated on her own to call for a voluminous voice. It was her male companion who was angering her.

"Don't tell me what I want! You don't know anything about what I want!" Sora's voice exclaimed, wavering as though she would cry.

"I know you wanted me to fuck you in the shower just a few minutes ago!" that male voice was very, VERY familiar to Takeru, and the blond teen shivered again. He had to see who the man was. He gently pushed the door with his hand, to try to open it discreetly.

"Fuck you!" Sora swore. Takeru nearly jumped: he'd never heard Sora use that extreme word before. The door was opened just far enough for him to see that Sora was sitting at the head of the bed, wrapped up in a bath towel. She was staring at something in front of her. Takeru would have to secretly push the door open more to see who she was arguing with.

"The best thing for you would be to act on the emotions you have right now!" the male's voice was irritated and irritating to Takeru. Just open the door a little bit more...

"No, that'd be the best thing for you!" Takeru saw Sora suddenly leap up, reaching a hand out to the man she was fighting with. "You see what I mean!?" Sora fell back to a sitting position against the headboard again, and Takeru saw that she had another bath towel in her hand.

"So you're saying that these are the emotions you have right now? Just like me?" Takeru noticed an arm reached out to Sora, and it was male and muscled and of a darker shade of skin from Yamato's. The voice seemed to mock, and Takeru opened the door more, seeing shoulder and a leg bent and resting on the sheets as the man sat on the edge of the bed.

"Fuck you!" Sora exclaimed again, and she threw the towel in her hand back to the man. Sora crossed her arms and looked away, and appeared to be sulking.

"Come on, Sora, just give in to what you want," the male voice tried to sound seductive, and Takeru didn't have to open the door anymore. Because the man had gotten up to crawl across the bed to Sora, and Takeru saw and recognized the full head of bushy brunette hair.

"Taichi!" Takeru forgot about opening the door quietly and burst into the room, just as it looked like Sora's exboyfriend would try to kiss her. "Leave her alone!"

"Takeru!" Sora exclaimed, a tear or two escaping her eyes in gratitude, as she clambered across the bed away from Taichi and towards her boyfriend's little brother. Sora jumped to stand on the floor, and rushed to stand behind Takeru, a hand clutching her towel around her while she nervously bit a nail on the other hand.

Taichi had stared at Sora as she fled, and once she was safe behind Takeru, Taichi cast his eyes to look at the teenager. Seeing Takeru's unbelievably angered expression, Taichi couldn't help but smirk and chuckle. "She didn't want to be alone moments before, Ishida. She wanted someone to be with her. And in her."

"Shut up!" Sora sobbed.

"Get out," Takeru ordered Taichi, pointing a finger over his shoulder to the open bedroom door.

Taichi laughed out loud as he grasped the towel that was loose on his lap, and secured it back around his waist as he stood up. "Can't," he said simply and shrugged his shoulders, "I don't have my clothes on. They're still on the bathroom floor, where I had dropped them after Sora told me to join her in the shower."

"For crying out loud!" Takeru didn't believe Taichi. He stalked around the bed and into the bathroom and gathered up Taichi's clothes. Then he returned to the bedroom and threw the clothes at Taichi.

Taichi caught all except his underwear. "Oops," he smiled, then he glanced over his shoulder at Sora and winked. When he bent over to retrieve his drawers, Sora looked away and made a noise of disgust, as he had given her a clear view of what was beneath his towel.

"Now get the Hell out," Takeru got nose-to-nose with Taichi, "Before I give you a second black eye to match the one you already have." While Takeru seared with rage towards the invader, Taichi merely smiled triumphantly.

"I'll, uh, leave Yamato's bath towel by the door as I leave the apartment," Taichi mockingly said. Then he chuckled again, and sauntered away from Takeru and around the bed.

He approached Sora casually as she stood by the bedroom door. She shivered under his confident gaze, and struggled not to look in his eyes. Takeru thought he'd have to come between them, but Taichi merely looked at her with a strange possessive look to his eyes. Suddenly he made a low noise that caused Sora to look at him, to see what he was doing. Taichi started to sing again.

"Now don't you know I live with a ton of regret...'cause I used to move you in a way that you've never known...but then I accused you in a way that you've never known..." Taichi murmured when he stopped by the door, his head so close to hers that his breath blew through her hair. Sora's jaw dropped at the implications of the verses Taichi had picked to sing, until he sang the last line.

"...but then you hurt me in a way that I've never known..." Taichi smiled broadly.

And Sora regained her composure as he conceitedly sang the line.

Takeru, not knowing what was happening between the two _former_ lovers, rounded the bed and stood between them again. Takeru's eyes, staring daggers, blocked Taichi's view of Sora, and Taichi merely snickered.

"I'll be talking to you later, Sora," Taichi said in a mocking tone. Then he turned and walked out.

And both Sora and Takeru held their positions as they listened to Taichi put his clothes back on and then leave the apartment with a great slam of the door.

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"How could this happen?" Takeru sat in disbelief on the livingroom couch, Sora sitting in the armchair on the other side of the coffeetable between them, sobbing into her hands.

After Taichi had left the apartment, Takeru had immediately whirled to face Sora, and demand to know what the Hell was going on. Sora weakly convinced him to let her get some clothes on first, and once she'd done that, she led him into the livingroom and sat him down to tell him the story.

She explained that Taichi snuck in after Takeru had left without ensuring that the door was shut tight. She clarified that she thought it was Yamato who was sneaking up on her while she was in the shower. She outlined that she had invited him in and played with him until his voice gave him away. She recalled how she had escaped the shower and then fought with Taichi. And finally she summarized that Taichi wanted to go out with her again.

Takeru apologized deeply for not shutting the door tightly. He persuaded her that he didn't need to know every little detail about what went on in the shower. He applauded her that she had tried to beat Taichi up. But he damned Taichi when Sora's face appeared to consider Taichi's want as she told Takeru about it.

"That bastard should be put away for this," Takeru cursed once he'd heard the whole story. But it wasn't the whole story, as Sora hadn't told him that she had let Taichi kiss her and she had kissed him back, even after she knew that it was Taichi and not Yamato who had fooled with her in the shower.

"I don't know what to do," Sora cried as she wiped away the tears on her face with the sleeve of her shirt. She had deliberately put on long-sleeved clothes, despite the warm weather, as she felt quite vulnerable under any man's gaze now. She wasn't sure who to trust, what with Taichi having posed as her boyfriend to make his way into her shower. Furthermore, she was hiding from Takeru all the hickeys and love marks Taichi had given her all over her body.

Takeru's rage subsided as concern for Sora's emotional state built up. "What do you think is best?" he asked her, completely unsure himself what she should do.

Sora sniffed once more, but then a determined look came to her eyes. And then it harnessed her voice as well, "I have to tell Yamato."

Takeru, shocked, quickly looked up at her. He didn't know how his brother would take it once he'd heard. Sure Takeru had grown up under the elder Ishida's watchful gaze, but since Yamato had moved in with Sora, Takeru hadn't heard or known much of Yamato's progression into life. So Takeru didn't know how Yamato could handle the news of his girlfriend having practically slept with another man.

Sora continued, "Takeru, I love your brother, and the best thing for our relationship is the truth. I have to tell him...regardless of how fearful I am of his reaction."

Takeru sat back on the couch, relieved. He respected Sora's sensibility and courage, and hoped that he himself would eventually acquire those skills soon so as to express to Hikari his love for her.

But as Takeru thought, Sora was still speaking. "Takeru, I'm so afraid," Sora sobbed, tears streaming down the sides of her porcelain face. "I'm afraid that what I tell him will break him inside. I don't want him to hurt; I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm afraid he won't understand these troubled feelings I'm having right now, and I'm afraid that he won't give me another chance," she recalled how Taichi wanted a second chance with her. "I'm afraid that Yamato will leave me."

Takeru watched Sora shudder and shake and quiver and quake. He thought that she would suddenly explode into glittering innocent particles of confetti. He got up off of the couch and walked around the coffeetable, to stand beside Sora's armchair and give her comfort. As soon as he got there she threw her arms around him in an embrace as she continued to cry and wail. Takeru could only hug her and rub her back and coo enouragements and support for this awful truth she would have to tell Yamato.

"I'm so afraid. So afraid..." Sora mumbled incoherently as she cried into Takeru's shoulder, and Takeru was softly thinking and worrying seriously how a great accident such as this could ruin his chance with Hikari.


	7. Vitality

"I'm so afraid. So afraid..." Sora mumbled incoherently as she cried into Takeru's shoulder, and Takeru was softly thinking and worrying seriously how a great accident such as this could ruin his chance with Hikari.

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"Hey, bro, what's going on?" Yamato cheerily entered his home.

Takeru merely sat on the couch hunched over, elbows on his knees, chin in his hands, eyes drooping with stress over thinking what was going to happen.

"Hey, Takeru, come back to me, Space Ranger," Yamato had dropped his coat and briefcase in an armchair and was bent over in front of his brother, eye-to-eye, as he snapped his fingers in front of his little brother's face.

"Oh, hey Yamato," Takeru didn't look up, or seemingly even move as he mumbled the greeting past his fingertips.

"What's wrong with you?" Yamato scowled as he stood up straight, fists on his hips in suspicion.

Takeru finally looked up, dropping one arm off his knee in its numb state as he did so. He had in fact spent the entire afternoon seated on the couch in the prior position, deep in thought over his concern for Sora's emotional state.

Yamato started, startled by the look on his younger sibling's face. He took a step back as though he had suddenly seen something quite shocking, and though he had yet to learn the bad news of what had occurred that day, a terrible sense of foreboding washed through his limbs, causing him to shudder. For all intents and purposes, one watching this scene of the brothers might be led to believe that someone dear to them had been murdered. But in their youthful ages, something much more horrible to their tender hearts had passed between them: a feeling that ugly shame, betrayal, and disrespect had settled upon them.

And for some strange reason, Yamato immediately seemed to know what might have happened, though not the precise details of the event.

"What's happened?" Yamato choked out, trying to shake off the dirty feeling clinging to his skin.

Takeru sighed deeply, now knowing how horribly Sora felt when she spoke with him and sobbed over what her beloved may or may not do once she had told him the truth. "It's about Sora," he said quietly.

Yamato suddenly swooped in and gripped his brother's upper arms, scared of the words going through his mind, words that proclaimed that harm had come to Sora, that Takeru may yet have to say. "Where is she!" Yamato cried out.

Takeru locked eyes with his brother. He could see the fear Yamato was feeling. Takeru now wanted to tell his brother himself what had happened, to calm Yamato immediately and help him to realize that the worst had not happened to his girlfriend. But then he thought that the worst, had it happened, may have been easier for Yamato to handle than the truth. Yet the truth was the only thing available, and it was something he'd promised to Sora he'd let her explain.

"She's in the bedroom," Takeru weakly said.

Yamato visibly relaxed immensely.

Takeru remembered how hours before, after comforting Sora as she spoke with him about Taichi and her decision to tell her boyfriend, she had picked herself up and mournfully shuffled down the hallway, and lightly closed her bedroom door. Leaving Takeru in a state on the couch of just as much guilt for not shutting the apartment door and keeping Taichi locked out, Sora had gone to her room and sobbed softly for what seemed like hours. Listening to Sora's pain, Takeru stayed on the couch, his mind battling over how difficult love could be, and if it was really what he wanted with Hikari. Part of him was thinking about himself and his life, but most of him was thinking for Sora, waiting on the couch to comfort her again should she choose to leave her room and seek consolation for the grave error she had made earlier in the day. And while his limbs went numb and cold as he stayed in the same pose sitting on his makeshift bed, his mind was a hot-running blur of thoughts and emotions and fears.

"So she's okay?" Yamato cracked a weak smile.

Takeru returned to the present moment. "No," he said flatly.

Again Yamato scowled, but this time he was confused. "What? What's happened?" Again his fears and foreboding sensations arose.

"Something bad happened today, and Sora needs your comfort now more than ever," Takeru gave his brother a serious look.

Yamato started. "Tell me!" he demanded.

"Go talk to her yourself," Takeru moved his arm to point to the hallway.

Yamato looked at Takeru suspiciously for a moment longer, then turned and barreled down the hallway to the bedroom he shared with his girlfriend, Sora.

Takeru resumed his thinking position on the couch, barely listening as the bedroom door opened, Sora cried out in surprise, Yamato loudly demanded to know what was wrong, and Sora mournfully began to sob again.

Where loud moans of passionate pleasure had once emanated from the night Takeru arrived to stay at the apartment now came only soft voices in debate over the events of this day. Softer they were as Sora moaned in sadness and Yamato comforted her. Then slightly louder they became as the feminine voice explained what occurred in her shower. Then silence. Too long was that silence. It was the silence of a shocked Yamato. It was a shock that his beloved didn't even differentiate his body from another's. It was a shock that his beloved had almost slept with another.

Takeru hadn't listened to anything of the conversation up to this point. He merely heard mummed voices in the background of his thoughts over his own future love life. But when the silence happened, he heard it. He heard nothing, so his mind escaped him as he realized that no argument, when one was due, was not taking place. He strained his hearing and noticed that the silence had ended, and a feminine voice was weakly proclaiming the emotions of her heart to her lover.

"...I'm sorry," Sora managed to say, Takeru cringing as his brother's silence continued.

No voice answered Sora. Instead Takeru heard a shuffling, a fumbling at the bedroom doorknob, the door opening, then heavy footsteps coming down the hall.

Earnestly Takeru looked to see what state his brother was in. Yamato's eyes, as he passed through the living room, were devoid of emotion. His steps were deliberate, and his arms moved robotically as he retrieved his coat from the armchair near Takeru.

"Yamato, what are you doing?" Takeru pondered out loud as he furrowed his brows and watched the automatic movements of his elder sibling.

Yamato mumbled incoherently, eyes avoiding Takeru's glance. He gripped his car keys with white knuckles as he went to the apartment door.

"Wait! Yamato, where are you going!?" Takeru jumped up from the couch, joints cracking out from stiffness with the sudden move.

Yamato merely scrunched his shoulders and didn't look back as he stepped out of the apartment and slammed the door shut behind him.

Takeru was about to go after his brother, but immediately after the slam he heard a choked sob down the hall.

Takeru raced down the hall to the bedroom. The bedroom door was wide open, and Sora was snarled up in the bedsheets and her tears, her body in the comforting fetal position with her back to the door.

"Sora!" Takeru exclaimed as he crossed the room and climbed up on the bed, a hand immediately on Sora's shoulder. A slight shake roused her and she turned to lie on her back, but seeing her friend made her rise up and into his comforting arms.

"Oh, Takeru!" Sora cried as she hugged the teenager with her life. Takeru embraced her back, soothingly rubbing her back with his other hand as he let her cry into his shoulder.

"Shh," Takeru whispered into her ear, trying to calm her. Though only moments before he had been a confused mess on the couch with his thoughts and emotions, now he had composed himself, and was there to act as the best friend he could be, and comfort Sora all he could. "Tell me what happened," his hands on Sora's shoulders, Takeru pushed her far enough from him so he could look into her eyes, and have her speak with sincerity.

"I told him everything I told you," Sora sobbed, her mouth pulled into an ugly-sad frown as she tried to hold back the tears so she could talk. "I started off by apologizing for what I did, then I explained what happened. He listened at first, but seemed to get distant when I told him about my shower. I'm afraid he thinks I wanted it to happen!" she whimpered.

"No, he definitely does not think that," Takeru immediately responded.

Sora sniffed. "Well, he got real quiet and when I tried to look into his eyes to reassure him that this was all an accident and that I love him, his gaze seemed to look right through me...as though he didn't believe me!"

"I told you, no, he doesn't think that you did this on purpose," Takeru reminded her.

Sora wiped her cheek with her wrist. "Then why did he just leave!? He must think I don't love him! But I do, oh, Takeru, I love him so much! I told him all that and he still left!"

"He did not leave you," the words slipped past Takeru's lips without thinking, though right after he said it he had doubts of its validity.

"Oh, Takeru, where did he go? I need to talk to him some more, and he's just left because he won't listen! He doesn't trust me!"

"Sora, Yamato trusts you more than he trusts me," Takeru stated as he looked at her from beneath his eyebrows.

Sora gasped in surprise, then her face contorted with sadness again. "Oh, Takeru," she sobbed, "he has to come back right now. I still have more to talk with him about: about how much I love him. But I don't know where he's gone to..." Sora embraced Takeru again as she began to cry once more.

"Shh, calm down," Takeru soothed her as he thought. "I'll go find him."

Sora pushed away, suspicion in her eyes. "Do you know exactly where he went?"

"No, but I have a pretty good idea of where to find him," Takeru smiled reassuringly.

"Oh, Takeru, thank you so much," she embraced him again.

Then Takeru pushed away from her and got up off the bed.

"Please hurry, Takeru. I'm worried of what he may do," Sora worriedly sniffed.

"I'll be back soon," Takeru looked over his shoulder at her as he walked out of the room.

The Ishida youth walked down the hallway, assured were his steps though they were not robotic like Yamato's had been. Takeru was confident of his course of action, but he was uncertain if the aid he would need was available. Reaching the kitchen, he grasped the telephone receiver and dialed the phone number that both an angel and Satan shared.

A couple of rings occurred, building up a worried feeling in Takeru's gut. Finally the call was answered, and Takeru sighed in relief.

"Hello?" the angel had answered the phone. Takeru smiled and wiped the fearful sweat from his forehead, glad that Taichi, who wouldn't help him, hadn't picked up.

"Hikari? It's Takeru. Listen, I need your help right away."

"Sure, I'm not doing anything right now. What do you need?"


	8. Rationalization II

"Hello?" the angel had answered the phone. Takeru smiled and wiped the fearful sweat from his forehead, glad that Taichi, who wouldn't help him, hadn't picked up.

"Hikari? It's Takeru. Listen, I need your help right away."

"Sure, I'm not doing anything right now. What do you need?"

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"Dammit, Yamato, where the Hell are you?" Takeru cursed out loud as he gazed out the passenger window and windshield at the damp sidewalks. There had been rain earlier, so people were few and far between on the walkways lining the commercial streets outside nightlife attractions. Lampposts shone brightly, but that still wasn't enough light in the night to help Takeru try to pick out the tall blond form of his older brother.

"Calm down, Takeru," Hikari reassured her old friend as she carefully drove her father's car through the puddles in the street. "We'll find him sooner or later," she remained cheerful.

"Yeah, well it's the later I'm worried about," Takeru mumbled. "I don't think Sora can survive this night without knowing that Yamato still loves her."  
"I said we'll find him," Hikari scowled at Takeru. "Where should we look next?"

Phoning Hikari about this matter earlier had Takeru telling her all about the sad heartache Sora and Yamato had experienced before Yamato fled, but not telling her about the cause of the heartache: Taichi. Takeru did not want to push Hikari away by damning her own brother, though he suspected that she suspected that her own flesh and blood, from evidence seen at the beach the previous day, did have something to do with the romantic turmoil.

Takeru smiled as he turned to look at Hikari: the angel even looked gorgeous in a bulky yellow raincoat. He was glad he had such a kind and caring friend as her. He figured he would be even more glad if he discovered that she had the feelings for him that he had for her. But that topic was not why they were out roaming the streets right now. He resumed his search of his mind's memory bank, trying to remember what places Yamato loved to visit in this city.

"Did we already check the park?" Takeru asked Hikari.

Hikari sighed, "The park, the harbour, and the university he wants to go to. Isn't there any other places Yamato likes to go to when he needs to think?"

Takeru started. He'd been going about this all wrong! He'd been directing them to look for Yamato where his sensitive side would need to go to clear its head. Takeru forgot all about Yamato's hardened side, the part of the elder Ishida that inclined him to hide his emotions. And if Takeru knew anything about his older brother, it was the fact that Yamato didn't like anyone but his friends and family seeing him be romantic. And as Yamato had not left the apartment in the first place to be with friends or family, Takeru figured that he'd gone somewhere where he would be inconspicuous.

"The bar!" Takeru gasped.

"What?" Hikari looked at him strangely.

"Turn the car around! Yamato's at the pub!" Takeru realized that his brother, in trying to be a sensitive guy for Sora, had abandoned all of his seedy hangouts but one.

"I hope you're right!" Hikari suspiciously answered as she turned down a side street in order to legally turn the car in the direction opposite the one they had been heading in.

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"...I-I did...n't th......ink. Yeah...what...wh-wh...wh-whatever!" the handsome blond young man mumbled as he spoke to himself and the dark pool of alcohol at the bottom of his glass. It was swimming around itself right beneath Yamato's slurred but watchful eye, and inwardly his mind suddenly, soberly, cursed itself for not being there to stop his beloved's exboyfriend.

"I had to go out and work!" Yamato leaned back and his head fell back as he loudly proclaimed, in a spiteful voice, his excuse for not being there. For her. When she needed him.

"I'm such a bastard," Yamato finally mumbled after a stretch of silence.

He was completely ignored, there on his rickety stool at the bar, left by the other patrons dispersed about the joint to enjoy his own sadness. Only the bartender paid him any heed, uncapping another bottle of the dark alcohol Yamato was emptying his pockets for. The guy grabbed the Ishida elder's glass and poured it full once again.

"...thanks," Yamato smarmed before hanging his head over it again.

"Tough day, pal?" the barkeep made smalltalk.

"Worst day," Yamato answered, plopping his lips on the rim of the glass and sipping on the foam.

"It'll all be better in the morning," the bartender smiled before turning to wash some glasses.

"...that's not soon enough," Yamato whispered to himself, then heartily grabbed the glass he'd been leaning over and drank as much as he could swallow in one swig. Half the glass was empty when he set it back down. Half his heart was empty: part was his and part he'd given to Sora, and now he'd left her.

Yamato was too absorbed in wallowing in his pity for Sora that he didn't hear the scuffle that was happening at the entrance to the bar.

"...aww, come on! I don't want to drink anything! I just need to talk to someone who's here!" Takeru was arguing with the bouncer.

"Kid, you're underage. Think we're gonna risk giving you the opportunity to get a little soused?" the big man held the Ishida teen back with a huge palm raised up in a gesture that said 'No Entry'.

Takeru got on his toes to glance around the bouncer and the bar, trying to find his brother. "Ah! There's the guy I need to talk to!" Takeru spied Yamato. "Look, he's right in your sight! I just need to sit and talk to that guy at the bar for a few minutes, then I'm gone!"

Uncertain, the bouncer turned to look to the bartender, who'd heard the argument and decided that the drunk at his bar needed help. So he waved his hand, nodding to the bouncer to let the kid in, "I'll keep an eye on him."

Takeru gave a triumphant look to the bouncer, who merely shrugged and stepped aside. Takeru quickly crossed the room and took a seat right next to his brother.

"Hey, Yamato," Takeru immediately began, leaning against his elbow on the bar and trying to peer through Yamato's thick hair to see his face. Takeru couldn't see his brother's expression, what with his face hanging down into his drink, but he did smell the strength of the alcohol on Yamato's breath.

"...go away," Yamato muttered, then raised his head to take a great gulp of what was left in the glass.

"...she did the right thing," Takeru closed his eyes as he spoke softly.

But Yamato reeled on him, "What, by nearly sleeping with my former best friend!? I don't think THAT'S right!"

"No, you asshole! I mean she did the right thing by telling you!"

Yamato settled back down. "If she hadn't told me, I wouldn't be the wiser..."

"But she had to tell you, because she loves you."

Yamato made a noise with his lips that expressed his disbelief, "Oh, yeah? Then how the Hell could she let herself get so far with him?"

"Because she thought he was you!"

"...she knows my body..." Yamato recalled fondly Sora's tender touch. "How could she mistake him for me?"

"She had her eyes closed, Yamato. She was," Takeru gulped, "doing something she thought you'd like."

Yamato looked away. "...I didn't like it."

Takeru sighed. "Whatever you think, Sora loves you. She made a mistake: it was all an accident, and she admits that. And if it was MY girlfriend, I wouldn't want to be in the dark of such a serious thing. Sora feels incredibly guilty about this whole thing, and hates how Taichi took advantage of her..."

"I'll murder the son of a bitch," Yamato spat.

"...I think you should hold out on that, because right now Sora needs you. She needs to be reassured that you still love her, and that you forgive her for her error. She's a wreck right now, not knowing you're feelings about all this...for Christ's sake! You just walked right out on her after she'd poured her heart out to you! That's no way to leave a fragile girl!"

Yamato shivered at Takeru's cold words. "...I didn't know what else to do..."

"...except come here and get plastered!" Takeru scolded.

"How the Hell did you get here, anyway?" Yamato pondered, turning seriously to his brother for a moment. "You didn't have a car..."

"...Hikari drove me," Takeru confessed, blushing slightly when he spoke the angel's name aloud.

"...that bastard's sister..." Yamato cursed, but then he was caught as he noticed his little brother's face turning pink. A broad grin grew to hang from ear to ear on his face: a drunk smirk. "...Hikari, eh?"

Takeru was startled by the leer on Yamato's face, and got all defensive. "Yeah, I told her I needed to find you, and she said she could drive us around to look, and that's all. She's waiting with the car just outside, so she doesn't get towed."

"...I'll bet," Yamato chuckled quietly to himself, but then forcibly nudged Takeru with his elbow. "She's 'just waiting with the car'. Sure, I'll buy that. For now."

Takeru was getting embarrassed. "Look, I'm here to get you to come back home. Sora's worried sick that you don't love her anymore. I don't think she'll last the night without you actually telling her face to face how you feel about this."

Yamato groaned. "I can't speak to her face to face..."

"Why the Hell not!?"

"Because her lips are swollen from Taichi's sucking on her face! I saw those hickeys on her neck! Those things will last for days! He marked his territory on her!"

"Eeew..." Takeru shuddered. "If you were blind, brother, all you'd sense is her. Just close your eyes--that is what she had done to make making love to you all the more pleasing," he nearly bit his tongue: he didn't want to have to say those words that were necessary.

"...and it probably would have been, too...if it had been me," Yamato remorsed.

"It can still be you! Just go back to her right now and tell her that you still love her! Because she still loves you!"

Yamato snorted, but then tears welled up in his eyes. "I've only been away for a few hours, but I still miss her. I gave her my heart, now I need to make sure that she still cares for it, that she still loves it...loves me..."

Takeru was getting annoyed. He knew he should be sympathetic of the uncertainties his older brother was faced with, but he knew that Sora was waiting painfully for a response to when she'd poured her heart out, and Takeru just wanted to get Yamato to agree to come home. "So you ready to go talk to her?"

Yamato stared at his empty drink glass a moment longer. It was entirely empty: like he was feeling at the moment. Though he'd come to the bar to melt into the depression and be inconspicuous, he was beginning to feel that he needed something that would not be very appealing to the bar attitude: something that would appeal to his sensitive side. Something he often appreciated when sober, but now needed even more as he was feeling helpless and guilty and drunk. He needed a hug.

Yamato vigorously shook his head, denying in his drunk state to hug someone, anyone, who was in the bar. He didn't want to make the wrong kind of impression. The best thing he could do would be to go home and hug Sora, so they could cry together and he could apologize for being such a jerk. She did, after all, tell him about the horrible incident, and she had looked so guilty and afraid when she'd spoken. She'd been so afraid of how he'd take it, and he'd taken the news in the manner that she'd feared. He'd made Sora so sad, and that wasn't right.

"Yeah, let's go," Yamato finally turned and mumbled to his brother before stumbling off the barstool.

"Give me your keys, I've got my license on me," Takeru held out his hand expectantly.

"Yeah, yeah...but what," Yamato passed Takeru his car keys and then grinned smugly at the teen, "about Hikari?"

Takeru's face turned bright pink again. "What about her? I'll just go thank her for bringing me and waiting, and say goodnight before I drive us home."

"Heh, heh, say 'goodnight'," Yamato chuckled lewdly.

"...shut up, you drunk," Takeru pushed his brother towards the exit, inwardly hoping that in his drunken state now, Yamato wouldn't remember anything he'd said by tomorrow morning.


	9. Relations

"...shut up, you drunk," Takeru pushed his brother towards the exit, inwardly hoping that in his drunken state now, Yamato wouldn't remember anything he'd said by tomorrow morning.

On his way out, Takeru thanked the bouncer, then escorted Yamato with a supportive arm around his elbow down the rain-slicked steps. Hikari was standing at the bottom of them, still beautiful in her gaudy yellow raincoat, and took Yamato's other arm as she and Takeru helped the drunk stumble back to his car. They, luckily, made there way to the parking lot behind the bar without stumbling.

As the teens pushed him into the backseat, Yamato giggled, "Heh, Takeru...Takeru here's a nice guy, Hikari...a REAL nice guy..." he covered his mouth with his hand, sputtering outright laughter, "...you should get to know him much BETTER, if you get me..."

Takeru felt himself blush fiercely once more, but when he glanced to Hikari to gauge her reaction, she seemed to just ignore Yamato's words. Fhew! Takeru had feared she'd take the drunk seriously...but he should know her better than that, shouldn't he?

"Now, now, Yamato, Takeru's going to take you home, and then you're going to have a nice, LONG chat with Sora," Hikari told the elder Ishida son.

"Yep, I am," Yamato resolved, pointing a finger in the air with confidence. "I'm gonna tell her I love her with all my heart, and I'm gonna apologize for being such a jerk, and I'm gonna tell her I love her with all my hea--" Takeru slammed the car door shut.

Hikari giggled at the sudden action as she watched the drunk Yamato talking to himself in the backseat of the car. "I'm glad that he and Sora are going to talk this through."

"Yeah..." Takeru sighed, trying to calm his heartbeat, which had sped up in embarrassment of what Yamato had said.

"...walk me to my car?" Hikari placed a hand on Takeru's shoulder, turning clear eyes to look up to her taller, old friend.

"S-sure," Takeru stammered: he had nearly jumped double his height into the air when she'd slipped her hand near his neck. Her hand was soft and cool as her pinky laid against his skin, the collar of his jacket not reaching up that far.

The heavy rain had stopped: being only a nervous trickle now, but the two teenagers till shuffled their feet through deep puddles as they strolled around to the front of the building to the car parked on the street in front of the bar's entrance. A ducky yellow raincoat stood out in the night as it sauntered alongside a dark and broody blond.

"I really appreciate you taking the time to drive me around to help me find my brother, Hikari," Takeru finally blurted out, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.

Hikari shrugged the night off of her shoulders. "No trouble. I'm glad you considered asking me for help to begin with."

Takeru chuckled nervously. "Well, to be honest, you were the first one who had a car who popped into my mind. And a car was what I needed. And I was in a hurry, so once I thought of you, my mind didn't consider anyone else."

The angel turned and gave her friend a skeptical glance. "Really? Why didn't your dad pop into your mind as your first consideration? He has a car, and is closer to Yamato and Sora's apartment than I am..." she smiled knowingly.

Takeru's mind stumbled, though his feet were still sure on the asphalt. "...well, I don't know..." he could've thought of an excuse that explained that it had been too late in the evening to phone for his father: that his dad would have been annoyed and grudgingly relented to his sons' needs. Takeru could have used that excuse to cover up the obvious fact that he preferred Hikari's kind company over the pissed off attitude of Mr. Ishida when the middle-aged man would no doubt lecture his sons over their continual juvenile behaviour and necessity to grow up. But part of Takeru's mind held his tongue, refusing to allow him to lie to the angel.

Hikari giggled, "Sure, I'll accept that justification." And she playfully nudged him with her elbow, nearly causing him to fall as he was distracted by his confusion over why his mind wouldn't let him give his crush a phony explanation for his actions.

Takeru could only blush, both in bewilderment and fondness of Hikari's laughter. But then the angel spoke again.

"I'm really glad that Yamato has wised up. He and Sora are in love, and I was afraid that this misunderstanding was going to lead him to do something awful..." Hikari's brows furrowed together in an upwards slant, as though she was saddened. "...but I'm glad that he's realized that Sora could never betray him in the way he suspected, and that he's going to go back to her and talk this through with her."

Hikari suddenly turned to face Takeru, causing him to stop walking as she did. "Takeru, you don't think it was right of Yamato to just run off like that, even if he did need a moment to himself, do you?" she looked up expectantly at him.

For a moment Takeru remained quiet, looking down at the angel as a familiar song fled through his mind, 'Conversation has a time and place...in the interaction of a lover and a mate...but the time of talking, using symbols, using words...can be likened to a deep sea diver who is swimming with a raincoat...' he couldn't help but stare at that gaudy yellow thing she was wearing as protection against the rain--protection against prying eyes--but found that Hikari still looked very beautiful in it. Finishing the verse to the song in his head, Takeru roused from his trance of her as her gaze was persistent upon him: she was waiting for an answer.

Takeru hurriedly tried to think, "W-well, that is...but sometimes a guy just needs...well, as a matter of fact, no. He ran off without even responding to what Sora had said to him, and left her in a fragile state of emotional stress. No, that wasn't right of Yamato, even if he needed some 'alone time'. He ran away, for God's sakes! Real men don't run away!"

Hikari giggled. "...so you don't believe your brother to be a real man?"

"Of course not!" Takeru spat, the sibling rivalry visible. But then he bit his tongue. "What I mean to say is, he didn't act very mature in this case. Or many cases concerning me. But this time he was dealing with Sora, and I realize that he was having trouble expressing to Sora how he felt, but...gosh, I've never seen him so emotional..."

The angel smiled. "He really loves Sora. He didn't know what to do. He was overwhelmed, so did the first thing that came to mind...much like you did when he ran off in the first place."

"Yeah..." Takeru could barely fathom the profoundness of the whole situation.

Hikari looked away. "I must say, I really envy them."

Takeru, dumbfounded, let his eyes grow wide. The angel just admitted to feeling one of the Seven Deadly Sins! "Why?"

Hikari looked back up at her old friend, giving him a skeptical look. But then she blushed, feeling his serious stare as boring into her, seeing her soul. "...because. Because they have found love and happiness in each other. Because they, at such a young age, have discovered their destiny."

Takeru's breath hitched. Speech of destiny made him recall what the angel had said to him the previous day on the beach, about Sora's fate with Yamato and not Taichi, and the lecture Sora had given him when he told her about his feelings for Hikari to begin with. Now, with each lisp of the word, Takeru found himself desiring destiny all the more: a destiny he believed fated him and Hikari to be together. He did not care for the death and destruction his destiny may bring him, he only hoped that if it included the angel that was standing here with him in the night on a rain-slicked street that he would be granted to experience it as soon as possible.

"...I wish I was so sure of my destiny," the angel confessed. "It seems to be such a daunting thing at times, but if it would reveal to me that the loves in my life are valid, then I would gladly accept anything it throws my way." Her words were a mirror of Takeru's thoughts.

"...loves?" Takeru squeaked.

Hikari turned even redder. "W-well, yes. The people who are my family, of course, and my friends, and my...well, loves."

Takeru dared to prod further, "Loves? You mean...as in romance?"

"...yes."

Takeru dared to hold his breath, "Who are you interested in for that?"

Hikari looked away, then turned and began walking towards her car again, ignoring Takeru's question.

"Hikari!" Takeru jumped to follow her pace.

"...I don't know," she finally blurted out some sense of an answer to his question.

"...are you sure?" Takeru was persistent, his heart banging against the cage of his ribs. "Come on, Hikari, we've been friends for a long time. You can trust me. You can tell me."

Hikari weakly smiled, keeping her eyes cast ahead of her so she wouldn't look at Takeru and accidentally reveal something she didn't want him to know--yet.

As the angel remained silent, Takeru realized he was being impolite, and caught himself: "I'm sorry, Hikari. I just...I mean I really...I just want you to know that I can be trusted if you ever need to talk about something."

"Thanks, Takeru," Hikari finally turned to him, understanding in her eyes. "That's one of the reasons why I really like you."

Takeru stopped dead in his tracks, listening to the connotations of her words. But then his eyes saw that she had walked far ahead without him, and so his mind rushed him to move his feet to catch up to her.

They finally reached the car, and something in Takeru's head told him to run ahead and offer his gentlemanly services. Hikari watched in wonder as her friend ran around her, through deep puddles that soaked his socks, and got to the driver's car door before she did. Then as she finally stood with him, Takeru smiled as he gripped the handle and pulled open the door for her. Just as Daisuke had done the previous day at the beach.

"Allow me, Madame," the same words and actions Takeru's rival had performed were repeated, as the blond bent down in a bow when he finished speaking.

Hikari stared for a moment, feeling the distinct deja vu aura about the scene. But gazing at her friend, she realized something was amiss. A broad grin developed across her face as she decided to fill in the blank. As Takeru held the door handle with one hand and had the other hidden behind his back, Hikari could only grasp for the nearest one, so placed her warm gentle hand over the one on the handle.

Surprised, Takeru looked up, and as he did, Hikari took steps to stand directly in front of him. Her toes in their rubbery practical gum boots were mere inches from standing on his sneakers. Takeru straightened his back, standing up straight. Now it was his nose that was mere inches from the angel's, as she comfortably held his eyes to look down only at her.

"Merci, Monsieur," Hikari laughed, and Takeru thought that she was going to take her seat in the car immediately. But no, she just stood there, smiling and looking up at the Ishida youth, looking like a beacon in the dark night. But her brightness was not because of the gaudy yellow raincoat she wore. Takeru discerned that she was a candle in the blackness because of her inner light, and the warmth she shone out that made Takeru weak in the knees.

Finally, the angel broke the marvelous silence. "...I really admire your determination and kindly nature, Takeru. I really respect how you took it upon yourself to help Yamato and Sora out when they sorely needed guidance. And I really cherish the persistence and boldness you possess."

'Boldness? What boldness?' Takeru thought inwardly. 'I'm not bold...I can't even tell her how I really feel for her! I'm a coward...' He forgot that Hikari was still speaking.

"...I guess what I'm really trying to say is, I'm really happy that you've helped out your brother and Sora. Sora's one of my best friends, but I don't know if I'd have been able to think as quickly as you did and seek out Yamato AND convince him that he had to go home."

"...me too," Takeru mumbled, but then tried to clarify. "But, Hikari, I'm sure that you could have done it! I mean, you are persevering and very caring...I'm certain that you'd have been able to do what I've just done. And to be honest, I wasn't really thinking...I mean, I don't think. I mean, I just did whatever came to mind! Like when I phoned you..." Takeru's cheeks turned pink in embarrassment of his ramblings.

But Hikari only laughed. "Thanks, Takeru. Hearing that from you means a lot to me."

'It does!?' Takeru's thoughts whirled.

Hikari sighed. "Well, I guess I should go home. Taichi is probably upset that I ran off without telling him where I was going," she rolled her eyes. "I suppose he's gotten mom and dad all worried about me, though they KNOW I can take care of myself!"

Takeru seethed at the name of his brother's girlfriend's abuser and former best friend's new best friend. 'Taichi doesn't deserve to worry about Hikari. He doesn't deserve to call her family...'

"...but I'm sure they'll be relieved when I tell them that I've been with you. They shouldn't worry when I'm with you, because I feel safe when I'm with you," Hikari finished.

'What!? Did I just hear that right!?' Takeru's mind spun. 'She does trust you! She feels _safe_ with you! That's a _good_ thing!'

"Well, I guess this is 'goodnight'," Hikari looked away, but still did not make any move to get in her car. Why was she deliberating? Why did she seem hesitant? And as Takeru stood stock-still staring down at the angel, mind stupefied by her previous words, he thought he saw a hint of blush cross her face. Was she embarrassed about something?

But then Takeru felt the reason for her suspected embarrassment, because she suddenly flew up on tip-toe and touched her lips to his cheek. A swift kiss that burned upon his skin was what he'd received, and he almost thought that he was dreaming.

"Thanks for calling," Hikari smiled with beautiful eyes before she finally stepped away from him, and ducked down and took her seat in the car.

But Takeru didn't shut the car door right away, as he was still amazed by the kiss, and one hand gradually reached up to stroke the spot she had pecked. Finally Hikari reached for the door herself, and pulled it shut, pulling Takeru along with it with his rigid grip on the handle. He was forced to stumble, one foot slamming into a puddle as he struggled to regain his balance and nearly ran into the side of the car in the process. Weakly, embarrassed, he caught sight of the angel behind the steering wheel, and she was smiling through the window at his efforts. Takeru feebly cracked a grin as he tried to laugh at his own misfortune. Hikari laughed in return. Then she shook her hands in a shooing gesture, and Takeru realized that he had to step away. Reluctantly, he did, then the angel started the car. She waved, and he waved back, and she pulled away from the curb and was off into the night.

Takeru stared at the receding vehicle, the knowledge that the object of his affections was controlling it making him gaze until she was out of sight. In a pathetic fallacy manner, as Takeru was reluctantly watching Hikari disappear from his life for the night, it began to rain again. Cold droplets fell as heavy tears from heaven as Takeru's angel fled him, and they roused him to remember that Sora was waiting for her love to return to her. Takeru lazily turned on his heel, and wandered out of the street and back onto the bar's property, eyes roving to the parking lot behind the building and Yamato's car parked there.


End file.
